description in and of itself. The thick description has to include some
attempt to understand further generalizations. Perhaps paradoxically
Geertz actually does do that, especially if one bothers to read all of his
oeuvre. Perhaps what I am mostly objecting to here is the way in which
many people, especially students, tend to read only Geertz’s “Deep Play”
and then jump to conclusions not only about Bali but also about the mean-
ing of the method called thick description. I want people to put the techni-
que into a broader Methodological perspective. In that way, Bali as
research object is no different from any other topic. But since Balinese
rituals like the odalan are in part so obviously a “vestige” of a vastly differ-
ent worldview (Weltanschauung, Weltbild), the reality of the differences hits
us right between the eyes,...or,...on the forehead!
I have not attempted to fully exhibit thick description in this paper.
That would take us into a very specialized vocabulary and highly sophisti-
cated knowledge about a unique and fascinating place. Moreover, I have
developed an appreciation for how very difficult it is to stick to rigorous
“thick description” of symbolic interaction in one place at one very specific
time. Some novelists have done a great job with fictional “thick descrip-
tion” but Jane Belo’s work is a great example of scholarly effort. Yet even
she could be critiqued to some extent for inserting analytical statements
that may or may not be supported by her observations of place and time.
In this paper I have indicated how important both the thick description
and CHS analysis of any subject can be. The example is the odalan in Bali
but the methodological ideas have a bearing on any scholarly research.
Those who do Symbolic Interactionist research can benefit from a deeper
comprehension of the strengths and weaknesses of Geertz’s famous analysis
of “Deep Play” and can also usefully consider what it would mean to
engage in “Deeper Play.” As we search for ways to continue to improve
Symbolic Interactionism (e.g.,Athens, 2011)we should also pay careful
attention to terms like “thick description” and not jump to conclusions
about such techniques and their heuristic value. Similarly, as we continue
to study modern capitalist societies in the globalized 21st century we should
also remain aware of the beautiful vestiges of earlier sacred worldviews in
wonderful places like Bali. We should not romanticize Bali, but we should
also not simply assume that we can dismiss the vibrant remnants of a
Medieval HinduBuddhist culture as somehow irrelevant to the future of
human kind (Bakker, 1993; Darma Putra, 2004). The “steady state” of
Balinese society has much to teach (Bateson, 1970 [1949]; Geertz, 1966;
Howe, 2001; Lansing, 1991) about “interaction” (Athens, 2011; Couch,
1984 ; Goffman, 1961; Noor, 2012; Stone, 1970; Whyte, 1955).
Geertz’s “Thick Description” and a Balinese Temple Ritual 109