SOCIAL CHANGE SOCIAL CHANGE AGENTS & COMMUNITY AGENTS & COMMUNITY

DEVELOPMENT DEVELOPMENT PROJECTS ON THE PROJECTS ON THE TIBETAN PLATEAU TIBETAN PLATEAU

Fulbright-Hays Summer Fulbright-Hays Summer Seminar in China 2006Seminar in China 2006

Prepared byPrepared by

Karen KrauseKaren Krause

OUTLINE OF CONTENTOUTLINE OF CONTENT

• INTRODUCTION TO SOCIAL CHANGE AND COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT

• SOCIAL ENTRPRENUERS

• QINGHAI NORMAL UNIVERSITY – STUDENT COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT PROJECTS

• SHEM – TIBETAN WOMEN’S GROUP & COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT

OUTLINEOUTLINE(CONTINUED)(CONTINUED)

EXERCISE TO LEARN ABOUT

SOCIAL CHANGE

• Community Development Projects

• Change Agents/Social Entrepreneurs

• Identifying and Examining Community Social Needs

WEB LINKS

SOCIAL CHANGESOCIAL CHANGE

• IN TRADITIONAL SOCIETIES, CHANGE OCCURS SLOWLY.

• FAMILY AND COMMUNITY TRADITIONS USUALLY SPAN MANY GENERATIONS.

• AS SOCIETIES MODERNIZE, SOCIAL CHANGE ACCELERATES.

CAUSES OF SOCIAL CHANGECAUSES OF SOCIAL CHANGE

• POPULATION AND ENVIRONMENTAL PRESSURES

• CULTURAL INNOVATION

• INTRODUCTION OF NEW TECHNOLOGIES AND CULTURAL PRACTICES

• PLANNED CHANGES

• SOCIAL ENTREPRENEURS

FOCUS:FOCUS:PLANNED SOCAL CHANGEPLANNED SOCAL CHANGE

• The Sociological Tradition

• Applied Sociology

• Social Entrepreneurs– Qinghai Province PRC– Shem Women’s Group

SOCIAL CHANGE: SOCIAL CHANGE:

• THE FIRST SOCIOLOGISTS ENVISIONED USING SOCIOLOGY TO BUILD A BETTER WORLD.

• FROM THE BEGINNINGS IN THE EARLY 19TH CENTURY, SOCIOLOGISTS SUCH AS COMTE WANTED TO APPLY SOCIOLOGICAL UNDERSTANDING TO SOLVING SOCIAL PROBLEMS.

APPLYING SOCIOLOGYAPPLYING SOCIOLOGYEARLY SOCIOLOGISTSEARLY SOCIOLOGISTS

• KARL MARX FOCUSED ON TRANSFORMING THE SYSTEM OF STRUCTURED INEQUALITY IN INDUSTRIAL SOCIETIES.

• DURKHEIM ADVOCATED FOR EDUCATIONAL REFORMS

SOCIOLOGISTS IN THE SOCIOLOGISTS IN THE UNITED STATESUNITED STATES

• CHICAGO SCHOOL – FOCUSED THEIR RESEARCH ON THE NEIGHBORHOODS OF CHICAGO AND ESTABLISHING A PROGRAM OF PLANNED SOCIAL CHANGE.

• JANE ADDAMS ESTABLISHED HULL HOUSE, A SETTLEMENT HOUSE TO SERVE THE POOR IN CHICAGO NEIGHBORHOOD

SOCIOLOGISTS IN THESOCIOLOGISTS IN THEUNITED STATESUNITED STATES

• W.E.B. DU BOIS CREATED THE FIRST SOCIOLOGICAL LABORATORY AT ATLANTA UNIVERSITY IN 1897 TO SERVE THE POOR AFRICAN AMERICAN COMMUNITY IN THAT AREA.

SOCIOLOGISTS IN THESOCIOLOGISTS IN THEUNITED STATESUNITED STATES

• C.W. MILLS, IN HIS BOOK,

“THE SOCIOLOGICAL IMAGINATION,” HE CHALLENGED SOCIOLOGISTS TO EXAMINE THE LINK BETWEEN PERSONAL PROBLEMS AND SOCIAL ISSUES AND TO DEVELOP NEW SOCIAL FORMS TO ALLEVIATE INDIVIDUAL PROBLEMS.

APPLIED SOCIOLOGY &APPLIED SOCIOLOGY &SOCIOLOGICAL PRACTICESOCIOLOGICAL PRACTICE

• APPLICATION OF SOCIOLOGICAL THEORY AND RESEARCH TO CREATE SOCIAL CHANGE AT THE:

• MICRO LEVEL: PROGRAMS DEVELOPED TO AFFECT INDIVIDUALS IN COMMUNITIES.

• MACRO LEVEL: PROGRAMS DESIGNED TO AFFECT SOCIAL POLICY

SOCIAL ENTREPRENEURSSOCIAL ENTREPRENEURS

• IDENTIFIES AND SOLVES SOCIAL PROBLEMS.

• ACT AS CHANGE AGENTS FOR SOCIETY.

• DEVELOPS SOLUTIONS THAT CREATE SOCIAL VALUE.

• EXAMPLE: MUHAMMAD YUNUS

GRAMEEN BANK IN BANGLADESH

GRAMEEN BANKGRAMEEN BANKMICRO-FINANCE PROGRAMMICRO-FINANCE PROGRAM

• BANK THAT MAKES LOANS ONLY TO POOR PEOPLE, MOSTLY WOMEN.

• STARTED BY ONE MAN GIVING SMALL LOANS TO VILLAGERS.

• TODAY THE PROGRAM REACHES 12 MILLION HOUSEHOLDS AND HAS 5.5 MILLION BORROWERS AND HAS LENT OVER $5 BILLION.

SOCIAL ENTREPRENEURSSOCIAL ENTREPRENEURS

• THEIR WORK GROWS OUT OF DIRECT CONTACT WITH PEOPLE WHO NEED ASSISTANCE.

• HISTORICAL TREND: GREAT INCREASE IN SOCIAL ENTREPRENEURS SINCE THE 1990s.

SOCIAL CHANGE SOCIAL CHANGE AGENTAGENT

KEVIN STUARTKEVIN STUART

QINGHAI NORMAL UNIVERSITYQINGHAI NORMAL UNIVERSITY

CHANGE AGENT :KEVIN STUARTCHANGE AGENT :KEVIN STUART

• INNOVATIVE EDUCATIONAL PROGRAM IN THE NATIONALITIES DEPARTMENT IN QINGHAI NORMAL UNIVERSITY

• ADDRESS THE PROBLEMS OF:– LEVEL OF EDUCATIONAL ATTAINMENT

AMONG ETHNIC MINORITIES BELOW THE NATIONAL AVERAGE.

– NEED FOR TRAINING IN ENGLISH AS A THIRD LANGUAGE.

DAZHUAN LEVEL ENGLISH DAZHUAN LEVEL ENGLISH PROGRAMPROGRAM

• RECRUITMENT OF OUTSTANDING STUDENTS FROM MIDDLE SCHOOLS AND TEACHER TRAINING COLLEGES IN GANSU, QINGHAI, SICHUAN, THE TIBETAN REGION OF YUNNAN PROVINCE AND THE TIBET AUTONOMOUS REGION.

• STUDENTS HAVE 30 HOURS OF INSTRUCTION PER WEEK, 12 – 14 HOURS IN ENGLISH.

• IN LESS THAN TWO YEARS ARE READING ENGLISH CLASSICS (OLD MAN & THE SEA)

GRASSROOTS SUSTAINABLE GRASSROOTS SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT PROJECTSDEVELOPMENT PROJECTS

• IN ADDITION TO LEARNING ENGLISH, STUDENTS HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO LEARN HOW TO DESIGN AND IMPLEMENT SMALL-SCALE GRASSROOTS SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT PROJECTS FOR THEIR LOCAL COMMUNITIES.

PROJECT DEVELOPMENT PROJECT DEVELOPMENT TRAININGTRAINING

• WRITING PROJECT PROPOSALS

• APPLYING FOR FUNDING FOR PROJECTS

• MONITORING AND MANAGING PROJECT FINANCES

• WRITE REPORTS EVALUATING PROJECTS

PROJECTSPROJECTS

• BUILD VILLAGE SCHOOLS• IMPLEMENT WATER PROJECTS• PROVIDE SOLAR COOKERS TO RURAL

HOUSEHOLDS

IN THE PROCESS OF LEANING ENGLISH,STUDENTS ARE IMPLEMENTING PROJECTS TO BENEFIT THEIR COMMUNITIES.

DEVELOPMENTAL PROJECTS DEVELOPMENTAL PROJECTS ON THE TIBETAN PLATEAUON THE TIBETAN PLATEAU

• SOME OF THE PROJECTS CONDUCTED BY STUDENTS IN KEVIN STUART’S CLASS:– GREGORY– LUKE– ZACHARERY– KIMBERLY

XIRE ( GREGORY)XIRE ( GREGORY)XIREJIANCUOXIREJIANCUO

Comes from a small Comes from a small Tibetan village called Tibetan village called

Sa dkyilSa dkyilin Tongren County,in Tongren County,

HuangnanHuangnanTibetan Autonomous Tibetan Autonomous

Prefecture,Prefecture,Qinghai Province Qinghai Province

PRCPRC

GregoryGregory

• In 1999, he was one of five students chosen to study English at

Qinghai Normal University.

• While learning English, he also learned about development work and the possibilities for development programs in his home village and nearby communities.

Gregory’s First ProjectGregory’s First Project

• Mountain God Temple in Sa dkyil village.

• Gregory secured a $11,000 grant from the Bridge Fund for restoring the temple.

RESTORATION OF MOUNTAIN RESTORATION OF MOUNTAIN GOD TEMPLE IN REBGONGGOD TEMPLE IN REBGONG

Sa dkyl Village Temple Sa dkyl Village Temple Project Supported Project Supported

PROJECT: PROVIDE BEDDING PROJECT: PROVIDE BEDDING FOR BOARDING SCHOOLFOR BOARDING SCHOOL

Gregory Giving Bedding to StudentGregory Giving Bedding to Student

Gregory’s Current Project:Gregory’s Current Project:Kaji Rima Primary School ProjectKaji Rima Primary School Project

Kajia Rima Village, Madpa Townshi

Tongren County,

Huangnan Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture,

Qinghai Province, PRC

Kaji Rima Primary School ProjectKaji Rima Primary School Project

• Poor and remote village that wants an education for their children.

• 95 % of villagers are illiterate.

• Village of twenty-two households.

• 30 kilometers from Tongren town.

• Must travel by foot for 4 hours on winding treacherous path to reach the village.

• Situated on top of a mountain.

Kaji Rima School Project Kaji Rima School Project Potential Benefits:Potential Benefits:

• The school will have a room for grades 1-2 and a second room for grade 3.

• Students will be taught Tibetan, Chinese, and math in Tibetan.

• Twenty students (males and females) will have an opportunity to receive an education.

• With education, poverty will be reduced.

Nomadic kids reciting books on the Nomadic kids reciting books on the grasslandsgrasslands

LukeLuke(Mr.Caihera (Mr.Caihera

Dorji)Dorji)

“Rural “Rural Village Village

Develop-Develop-ment ment

Projects”Projects”

GERMAN EMBASSY (BEIJING) GERMAN EMBASSY (BEIJING) TIBETAN VILLAGE IRRIGATION TIBETAN VILLAGE IRRIGATION

PROJECTPROJECT• ZHURMER NANG VILLAGE, QINGHAI

PROVINCE, PRC.• CONCRETE-STONE IRRIGATION DITCH.• PROBLEMS SOLVED:

– NO MORE TIME LOST FIXING BROKEN SYSTEM.

– LARGER CROP YIELDS & MORE INCOME– LESS EROSION OF LAND FROM WATER

LUKELUKE

• LUKE IS CURRENTLY SEEKING FUNDING FOR SEVEN PROJECTS (SIX RUNNING WATER PROJECTS AND ONE SCHOOL PROJECT).

Social Change Social Change Agent: ZacharyAgent: Zachary

(Mr. Dawa (Mr. Dawa Tenzin)Tenzin)

“The Namyi: “The Namyi: Language Language Cultural Cultural

Preservation”Preservation”

CULTURAL PRESERVATION CULTURAL PRESERVATION PROJECTSPROJECTS

• STUDENTS ARE ENCOURAGED TO GET INVOLVED IN CULTURAL PRESERVATION PROJECTS:– FOLKLORE COLLECTION IN AUDIO AND

VIDEO FORMATS.– TRANSCRIPTION OF MATERIAL IN

TIBETAN WITH IPA(INTERNATIONAL PHONETIC ALPHABET) AND TRANSLATION INTO ENGLISH.

Social Change Social Change Agent-BritneyAgent-Britney

(Ms. Dawa (Ms. Dawa Zhoma)Zhoma)

“Endangered “Endangered Tibetan Music Tibetan Music

Project”Project”

FOR MORE INFORMATIONFOR MORE INFORMATION

• DEVELOPMENT PROJECTS:

http://iris.lib.virginia.edu/tibet/community/commdev.html

ENGLISH PROGRAM:

http://iris.lib.virginia.edu/tibet/education/english/EnglishTrainingForTibetans.pdf

TIBETAN-FRIENDLY ENGLISH TEACHING MATERIAL:http://iris.lib.virginia.edu/tibet/xml/showEssay.php?xml=/education/english/index.xml&m=print

Social Change AgentsSocial Change Agents

SHEM WOMEN’S GROUPSHEM WOMEN’S GROUP

SHEMSHEMWomen’s GroupWomen’s Group

• Focus on the empowerment of Tibetan women and their communities through grassroots development.

• Trains young, educated women to design, implement, and manage sustainable grassroots development projects that will address needs for water, fuel, and education in their home communities.

Most Projects are Designed to Most Projects are Designed to Directly Benefit WomenDirectly Benefit Women

• Reason for this focus:– Knowledge: As women, Shem members have first

hand knowledge of the needs for women in impoverished villages.

– Women’s Roles: Women’s lives are greatly impacted by limited access to clean water, electricity, health care and education. Projects are designed to provide women with more free time, better health and safer access to water and fuel.

– Challenging Traditional Attitudes: Shem members serve as positive role models demonstrating the importance of education for women.

HOW “SHEM” GOT STARTEDHOW “SHEM” GOT STARTED

• After hours course in Gender Studies taught by Michelle Kleisath – raised student’s awareness about women’s roles.

• Discussion of gender specific concerns lead to motivation to move forward to help women through small scale development projects.

• At student’s request. Michelle designed a development skills training class.

Michelle and ChugpilhamoMichelle and Chugpilhamo

GRASSROOTS DEVELOPMENT GRASSROOTS DEVELOPMENT SKILLS TRAINING COURSESKILLS TRAINING COURSE

• STUDENTS LEARNED HOW TO:– PLAN PROJECTS– FIND FUNDING FROM LOCAL, NATIONAL

AND INTERNATIONAL AGENCIES– ORGANIZE THE TASKS TO BE COMLETED– MANAGE THE PEOPLE AND PROJECT– IMPLEMENT AND MONITOR THE PROJECT– PROVIDE A FINAL REPORT FOR THE

FUNDING AGENCIES

GROWTH OF SHEMGROWTH OF SHEM

• SHEM WAS FORMED IN 2005• FIRST GROUP TO PROVIDE TIBETAN

WOMEN WITH THE OPPORTUNITY TO DESIGN AND IMPLEMENT COMMUNITY PROJECTS.

• PROJECT DIRECTORS: CHUGPILHAMO & LHAMOTSO.

• IN THEIR FIRST YEAR OF OPERATION, SHEM RAISED NEARLY $40,000 AND COMPLETED SIX DEVELOPMENT PROJECTS IN TIBETAN COMMUNITIES.

TYPES OF PROJECTS TYPES OF PROJECTS CONDUCTED BY SHEMCONDUCTED BY SHEM

• BRINGING POTABLE WATER TO VILLAGES• IMPROVING SCHOOLS• IMPROVING VILLAGE INFRASTRUCTURE BY

BUILDING BRIDGES• SUPPORTING MICRO-FINANCING IN THE

FORM OF YAK LOANS• BRINGING SOLAR ELECTICITY TO NOMADIC

COMMUNITIES

SHEMSHEMTibetan Women’s GroupTibetan Women’s Group

http://www.shemgroup.org/http://www.shemgroup.org/

TIBETAN CULTURETIBETAN CULTURE

Tibetan CultureTibetan Culture

Ethnic NationalitiesEthnic Nationalities

• There are 57 National ethnic groups within China.

• The Han Chinese are the dominant group and comprise the largest group in China.

• The Tibetans are one of the largest ethnic groups.

What is Culture?What is Culture?

• Culture

the language, beliefs,

values, norms, behaviors, and material objects that are passed from one generation to the next.

• Material Culture

the material objects that distinguish a culture.

Non-material Culture – a group’s

way of thinking and doing things.

How Culture Affects Our LivesHow Culture Affects Our Lives

• The effects of our own culture generally remain imperceptible to us.

• These learned and shared ways penetrate our being.

• Culture becomes the lens through which we perceive and evaluate what is going on around us.

Folkways and MoresFolkways and Mores

• Folkways – norms that are not strictly enforced.

• If someone does not follow a folkway, we may stare or shrug our shoulders.

• Mores – norms that are considered essential to our core values.

Norms in TibetNorms in Tibet

• Clothing – Cover your arms and legs

Especially women “of a certain age.”

• Do not stretch your legs out.

• Don’t kiss in public.

• Do not point to images of deities with index finger. Use the entire hand.

• Take off your shoes when sitting on the kang

Norms In TibetNorms In Tibet

• Go outside to blow your nose.

• Gesture of respect – hands together in prayer form and bow (to elders).

• Gestures:

Thumb up – good

Little finger up – bad

Middle finger up – so, so

Traditional Traditional TibetanTibetan

Women’sWomen’sFestiveFestiveAttireAttire

TRADITIONAL DANCETRADITIONAL DANCE AND CULTURE AND CULTURE

Cultural DiffusionCultural Diffusion

• The spread of cultural characteristics from one group to another.

• Travel and communication unite us,

Chinese Nationalities MuseumChinese Nationalities Museum Beijing, China Beijing, China

TIBETAN VILLAGETIBETAN VILLAGE

Tibetan Village: Chinese Tibetan Village: Chinese Nationalities Museum Nationalities Museum

Chinese Nationalities: Tibetan VillageChinese Nationalities: Tibetan Village

Replica of TempleReplica of Temple

Replica of Tibetan VillageReplica of Tibetan Village

Prayer WheelPrayer Wheel

Prayer WheelPrayer Wheel

Thangka PaintingThangka Painting

GREGORY’S VILLAGEGREGORY’S VILLAGEHome Stay in Tongren VillageHome Stay in Tongren Village

On the road to the villageOn the road to the village

On the road to the villageOn the road to the village

On the road to the villageOn the road to the village

Home and CourtyardHome and Courtyard

Women’s WorkWomen’s Work

Storage for FirewoodStorage for Firewood

Firewood for Kang - Under WindowFirewood for Kang - Under Window

Cook StoveCook Stove

Preparing breakfastPreparing breakfast

TsampaTsampa

Making TsampaMaking Tsampa

Outdoor BathroomOutdoor Bathroom

WELLWELL

Washing FacilitiesWashing Facilities

Cultural OrientationsCultural Orientations

• Culture Shock – the• Disorientation that

people experience when they come into contact with a different culture.

• Ethnocentrism – the tendency to use one’s own culture as a yardstick for judging the ways of other societies.

• It can create in-group loyalties or lead to harmful discrimination.

Practicing Cultural RelativismPracticing Cultural Relativism

• Try to see any item or practice in terms of the culture it occurs in.

• Analyze another culture on its own terms.

• Analyze how the elements of culture fit together.

• To counter our tendency to use our own culture as a tool for judgement.

The EndThe End