In 1958, the American anthropologist Clifford Geertz spent some time in Bali, studying the local culture. One of the sociocultural phenomena he studied was the old and well-established tradition of cockfighting, which has been for a long time related to heavy gambling, not only in Indonesia, but also in other places.
Geertz’s work shows that cockfighting in Bali is indeed something much more than a game. It is a sociocultural phenomenon with many different dimensions. Its study reveals a lot about the social structure and activity, as well as the cultural principles and values of the Balinese.