Lesson 2

Vulnerable Cultures and landscapes

• Cultures are often threatened by changing values and attitudes-

• Think about how UK culture has been threatened

• How may Haitian culture be altered in coming months-

• China and its rapid growth- will it lead to cultural changes? Or not?

Vulnerable cultures- Tibet

• http://www.historyworld.net/wrldhis/PlainTextHistories.asp?historyid=aa71 history of region

• http://www.freetibet.org/about/nomadic-lifestyle-under-threat read article

• http://www.asianpacificpost.com/portal2/c1ee8c421f48acf2011f8ba07c61032c_Tibet_s_culture_faces__death_sentence_.do.html asia pacific post

• http://tibetanculture.org/ all about the culture

China – causing the death of Tibetan culture?

• Invaded 1950• Tibetan people speak but Mandarin Chinese

only used in Primary schools• Tibetan enrolment in primary school 67%• 12.5% in secondary school• Declining numbers entering higher ed• 60% illiteracy• Education policies from Beijing turning Tibetans

into poorly educated underclass• Exiled leader in India- Dalai Lama- works from

exile in Assam region India

Beijing• Hutongs- narrow lanes- used to

be basis of urban buildings in the city.

• 1980s- 3,679 but fast pace of development has now destroyed many of them.

• Cleared to make way for roads and office blocks- also more recently for the Olympics

• Beijing is trying to be a WORLD CITY- and is developing world class finance and media scapes is important

• Beijing is becoming increasingly GLOBALISED- like any other city

UK rural landscapes

• Tourism can provide a catalyst to economic development , but often leads to conflicts

• As farming has declined, a post productive landscape of campsites, B&Bs and farm shops in place

• In a generation farming has been reduced from a key industry to a minority pursuit

• Mass counter-urbanisation to accessible rural locations has led to conflict between urban and rural values.

BHUTAN

Bhutan-

• Tourism- trying to limit amounts• But countries largest generator of foreign

currency• Used for employment BUT also to strengthen

countries cultural and natural heritage• Opened for tourism in 1970s• All tours have to be booked through Bhutanese

tour operator and led by Bhutanese tour guide• Limited numbers of tourist visas issued annually• Not all parts open to tourists

• Revenues used to improve education and healthcare

• Bhutan expensive destination so only visited by few wealthier, older tourists- who know where money goes

Bhutan’s darker side

• 2 major ethnic groups• Majority Drukpa and minority Nepalese• Drukpa culture sold to tourists- until recently they

were required to wear national costume• Nepalese resent cultural dominance and have

no political representation• Early 90s violence- 10 of thousands Nepalese

speakers fled to refugee camps in Nepal• Today nearly 100,000 refugees live in UN camps

in Nepal

Protection and players

• UNESCO- AIM- ‘THE PRESERVATION AND PROMOTION OF THE COMMON HERITAGE OF HUMANITY’

• Which cultures and cultural landscapes should be preserved

• Who should decide how and where cultures are to be preserved and promoted

UNESCO- World Heritage Sites

• Represent organisations view of world’s ‘best’ cultural sites and landscapes

• Natural sites- Great Barrier Reef

• Modern planned cities- Brasilia

• Ancient Sites- Machu Picchu

Distribution of Sites-

• More in North America and Europe

• Asia the most populous area only 21%

• Skewed towards developed world- economic dominance- richer countries have more money- but also global dominance of ‘western’ culture

• Preserving past greater priority in some cultures than others

A table to show World Heritage sites

Natural sites

Cultural and mixed sites

total % of total

% of world popn in that region

Africa 33 43 76 9 13

Arab world 4 61 65 7 3

Asia-pacific 48 134 182 21 60

Europe and N. America

54 381 435 50 16

Latin America and Caribbean

35 85 120 14 8

The Basque country- defined by language?

• South west France and Northern Spain

• http://personal.centenary.edu/~eholland/ about Basque

• Mountainous and coastal landscape• Distinct architecture, sport, festivals, and

language (Euskara)• Autonomous region- 2.8 million of them• 632,000 speak Euskara• Less than 25% fluent in language- still large

proportion as culture repressed for years• Basque nationalism- founded y Sabino Arana

iGoiri• Recently terrorist acts by Euskadi Ta Azkatasuna

(Eta)• Today the culture is important part of region’s

attractiveness to tourists• Basque flags on both sides of border• Farmhouses painted in traditional colours