Both dogfighting and cockfighting are rituals in which the animals are used as instruments of the owners’ prowess. Dogfighting is a symbolic expression of the subculture of white masculinity in the southern U.S., particularly for working-class men. The sport of dogfighting provides validation of masculinity, as these southern working-class men are unable to find validation otherwise. Manhood is achieved through this sport because it exhibits violent qualities, and violence is culturally legitimate and masculine in the United States, and it shapes men’s ideas on who they are as men. For the Balinese, Geertz tells a narrative of his experience with the Balinese people and cockfighting. The notion behind cockfighting is explained through his
