An Example Of An Anthropological Framework Of Sports

Anthropological Framework
Before this research paper takes a look into the specific case studies pertaining to the deeper importance that sports can hold within society it is necessary to provide a framework of thought that will enable the reader to better understand the context in which the case studies are being presented. The audience could look at the the analysis of the case studies at face value and find useful information that supports the thesis, but by providing context to the reader it will allow for a much more in depth understanding that will enable them to grasp the major points being presented. The theoretical framework that will be discussed in the following section is the idea of “deep play”, a concept made famous within the

Geertz also utilizes an idea from Erving Goffman that labels these crowds that were regularly congregating at the fights as “focused gatherings”. These focused gatherings were “a set of persons engrossed in a common flow of activity and relating to one another in terms of that flow.”(Geertz:1973 424,Goffman:1961) This meant that these individuals who were partaking in the cock fights were doing so in a manner that is dictated and perpetuated collectively by all of the people involved. The next big development that came from the study of the Balinese cockfights was notion of a deep play being present. This means that there is a more complex meaning behind the actions that occur in the typical cock fight. Geertz looked at the connection between the fights and the status hierarchy that existed amongst Balinese society and was able to find some quite

Because the cock’s represent whole groups of people, a win results in a group euphoric moment where their status among the community is solidified, whereas a loss has the group members feeling like they are at a lower level among other groups who had been cock fighting(Geertz:1973). All of these points indicate that while these cock fights are happening there is a solidification of identity for the participants. They are able to identify with, and bond with, the other members of their kin groups, as Geertz calls them, through the active cheering on of the cock against another group’s cock. This notion of rooting for your allies against a collectively defined enemy is a phenomenon that can effectively help the Balinese people to identify with their social groups that are either defined by kinship or shared ideals.(Geertz:1973) This same kind of “us” vs “them” scenario will also be brought up later as