Conflict within tri hita karana’s fields: A conceptual review

Abstract

The study on Tri Hita Karana mostly focuses on the application of the concept in particular area. Its lack of conjectural discussion opens opportunities for further research. Specifically, conflict is infrequently embraced, despite the fact that dispute is inevitably part of another Balinese balance concept, namely, rwa bhineda. This paper aims to draft a discourse of THK within the standpoint of cultural sociology by tailoring several concepts to identify the raise and possibility of conflict in Balinese social systems. Thence, the paper first reviews THK literatures to examine research conceptions on THK within Balinese customs. Second, the paper proposes extended THK framework to illustrate how conflict can emerge in Balinese practices and explain further understanding of interrelation of THK’s worlds. This paper highlights how the THK can be seen from cultural sociology perspectives to frame the dynamic of Balinese traditions within the contestation of spiritual, nature, and human fields. This study shows that capital play important roles on the Balinese life balance. Capital determines the positions, statuses, competitions, and hence symbolic values of agents in the fields. The paper advocates future theory developments to construct on different framework of THK to better describe the Balinese transitions toward modern cultures.