Banjar (Sociology of Bali)

This article describes a social group in Bali - for the language, see Banjarese .

The banjar is the smallest formal social unit in Balinese society. The social group mainly maintains a bale banjar , a meeting place where community gatherings and a wide variety of activities take place, such as sports, dance or gamelan music. If a banjar grows to over 500 members, a new one is spun off. Each banjar is led by a klian (chairman) elected by the general assembly of the heads of families.

The Banjar is a very old establishment in Bali, which probably goes back to times before the spread of Hinduism . Most of the villages in Bali consist of several individual Banjars who also manage common village affairs.

See also

• Adat (common law in Indonesian cultures)
• Entitativity of social groups (perception as an independent group)

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