Introduction — Bali Field Notes
Bali and Indonesia from a local observer's perspective. Main Volume of 8 Parts + a separate Language Volume.
Bali Field Notes is a local observer's perspective on Indonesia and Bali. If the blog posts show what a traveler sees, this Field Notes addresses how this society actually works.
A. Structure — Main Volume + Language Volume
The Field Notes is divided into two volumes.
📘 Main Volume — Parts 1–8
| Part | Title | Core |
|---|---|---|
| Part 1 | Indonesia Overview | History · politics · religious landscape · language · economy |
| Part 2 | Bali Overview | Geography · history · administration · population |
| Part 3 | Balinese Hindu Dharma | Heart of the book. Temples · rituals · Canang Sari · life ceremonies |
| Part 4 | Balinese Society | Banjar village self-governance · caste · customary law |
| Part 5 | Balinese Economy | Tourism dependence · Subak · real estate · foreign capital |
| Part 6 | Daily Life | Food structure · markets · clothing · Balinese architecture |
| Part 7 | Environment & Crisis | Volcanoes · overtourism · water · rice paddy decline |
| Part 8 | Foreign Community | Including Koreans — visas, education, conflicts |
🗣 Language Volume — Separate
Independent of the Main Volume: a language dictionary and expression guide. Indonesian basics, three levels of Balinese (Halus·Madya·Kasar), religious and customary law terms, pronunciation guide for Koreans.
The hierarchy is Part → Chapter → Article (Korean publishing convention). Numbering format is Part.Chapter.Article — e.g., 3.2.4 = Part 3, Chapter 2, Article 4.
B. Blog vs. Field Notes
| Axis | Blog (posts) | Field Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Perspective | Traveler — what I saw | Local observer — how this society works |
| Timeframe | Immediate · experiential | Structural · contextual |
| Depth | Surface · tips | Institutions · history · religion · economy |
| Shelf life | 1–3 years (shops change) | 10+ years (institutions change slowly) |
The same topic may appear in both. Canang Sari can be a cultural essay in posts and part of the temple system in Field Notes. The two are linked so readers can move freely between experience ↔ structure.
C. Article Status
- 🔄 Continuously Updated (needsReview) — A living document, continuously refined from local observation and sources. The body is published and kept up to date with the latest details.
- ✅ Reviewed (reviewed) — Personally verified and approved by the operator. A badge appears in the header.
How to contribute — Please share corrections or new information via the Guestbook. Every report feeds into the next update.
Sources / References
- Wiki — Bali · Indonesia · Balinese Hinduism
- Official — Bali Provincial Government · Badan Pusat Statistik (BPS) · UNESCO Subak
- Academic — Geertz C., Negara: The Theatre State in Nineteenth-Century Bali (Princeton University Press, 1980); Hauser-Schäublin B., Traditional Indonesian Polities and the Postcolonial State (Routledge, 2013)
