The analysis of culture in complex societies

Abstract

Field materials from North Bali are presented to question conventional anthropological conceptions of culture and common practices in its analysis. The author argues that there is a need for anthropology to reshape Us assumptions, particularly in response to recent reßexive and deconstructionist critiques. A revised set of assumptions is presented with regard to cultural meanings, sharing, positioning and function; and its fruitfulness in the analysis of cultural reproduction in Bali is explored.