Water plays an important role in Balinese society. Not only is it commonly featured in Balinese Hindu rituals, but its use and management also enables prosperity through rice cultivation. While these aspects of water have been discussed in many academic and non-academic publications, qualitative understandings of relations to seawater remain somewhat unexplored in the literature. The aim of this paper is to present a preliminary review of existing literature on water and marine environments in Bali, and argue the need for further qualitative social scientific understanding of contemporary Balinese relations to seawater. A discussion of existing research on ocean-centred communities and continued tourism development in Bali’s coastal areas is intended to add to current research in Balinese studies. By presenting literature on Balinese concepts of environment, water and the ocean, this paper seeks to highlight the benefits of continued research on perceptions of environment to discussions of pollution, water scarcity and resource management. Although maritime attractions such as the temples at Tanah Lot and Uluwatu as well as several popular beach communities play a significant role in the tourism industry, this paper suggests the need to further investigate the importance of these attractions to tourists and Balinese as well as the social interpretations associated with them.
Air berperan penting dalam masyarakat Bali. Air tidak hanya biasa dihadirkan dalam ritual Hindu Bali, namun penggunaan dan pengelolaannya juga membawa kemakmuran melalui budidaya padi. Meskipun aspek-aspek air tersebut telah dibahas dalam banyak terbitan akademik dan non-akademik, pemahaman kualitatif tentang hubungan apapun dengan perairan laut masih belum banyak didalami dalam literatur. Makalah ini bertujuan menyajikan ulasan awal mengenai literatur tentang air dan lingkungan laut di Bali, dan mengemukakan perlunya pemahaman sosio-ilmiah kualitatif lebih lanjut tentang hubungan orang Bali zaman sekarang dengan perairan laut. Pembahasan mengenai penelitian yang ada tentang masyarakat-masyarakat yang berorientasi laut dan tentang pembangunan pariwisata yang terus berlangsung di wilayah pesisir Bali dimaksudkan untuk memperkaya penelitian yang sekarang tersedia dalam kajian Bali. Dengan menghadirkan literatur yang membahas konsep Bali tentang lingkungan, air dan lautan, makalah ini berupaya menyoroti manfaat penelitian lanjutan mengenai persepsi tentang lingkungan bagi pembahasan polusi, kelangkaan air dan pengelolaan sumber daya. Meskipun obyek wisata bahari seperti Pura Tanah Lot dan Pura Uluwatu serta beberapa komunitas pantai populer berperan penting dalam industri pariwisata, makalah ini menyarankan perlunya penelitian lebih lanjut mengenai pentingnya obyekobyek wisata tersebut bagi wisatawan dan orang Bali, serta interpretasi sosial yang berkaitan dengan itu.
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