This is a splendid account of Balinese culture. But unlike the usual ethnography, this research spans decades and involves a multidisciplinary and multinational team of dozens. J. Stephen Lansing began his fieldwork in Bali in 1971 as a Wesleyan University undergraduate, and he has been at it ever since. He started with a phenomenological approach to Balinese religion, which led him to the interaction between religion and rice irrigation systems, which led him to political, organization and eventually back to religion. Along the way, he added archaeologists, computer scientists, system analysts, and others to his team. Since 1974, he has produced books, articles, and films on his findings. This present book describes his current understandings after thirty-five years of research, but it would be rash indeed to think that this is his final word on Bali.
The book is a thoroughly reflexive account of the various phases of research. Lansing...
