Why Cultural Sustainability Encourages Sustainable Development and Growth
Culture is a fundamental determinant of development and has impacts on environmental, social and economic activity. Culture is defined as elements in a community that can be socially transmitted. It is considered the fourth ‘pillar’ of sustainable development - alongside economic, ecological and social aspects. The relationship between culture and development has been underreported in literature, to the detriment of sustainable development programmes. We propose the assessment of this relationship through measuring cultural sustainability to bridge the existing gap in research. Cultural sustainability is defined as values and attitudes that can be maintained or improved despite external influences. Cultural sustainability is an enabler and driver of sustainable development and therefore holds huge importance in these programmes.
Ethnic minorities tend to be the most vulnerable, disadvantaged and marginalised groups in all societies making their development the most difficult. Ethnic minorities make up 14% of the Vietnamese population, but constitute the poorest 30% of the country. These communities are spatially, politically and economically isolated and increasingly at risk from environmental, economic and cultural hazards brought about, in part, by expanding global industrialization and patterns of consumption and production.
Lotus Project staff and locals in Lung Thuoc Village, Van Quan District, Vietnam (January 2019)
Lotus Project staff and locals in Lung Thuoc Village, Van Quan District, Vietnam (January 2019)
Globalisation and cultural assimilation influenced by development programmes can undermine culture. Finding the balance between globalisation and cultural preservation is imperative, especially for minority communities. Integration into mainstream culture and society increases connectivity by encouraging economic growth. However, both integration and globalisation threaten cultural sustainability, with the culture of the majority being dominant at the expense of the minority. This is known as acculturation.
In order to avoid acculturation, it is important to monitor and evaluate cultural sustainability. The most effective way to do this and tailor programmes accordingly is through community-centered research. Though there is a consensus that culture plays an important role in development, no standardised method for tracking cultural sustainability throughout a sustainable development programme exists. This is our proposed plan to fit into the Lotus Project’s Rural Development Model (RDM):
Identify which aspects, if any, of culture the community values in preserving through questionnaires.
Identify which aspects can and should be preserved to aid sustainable development based on their economic, ecological and social values.
Assess community perceptions of cultural sustainability throughout development programmes using a quantitative measure i.e. questionnaire using an ordinal scale.
Steps (1) and (2) would be part of research and development, and target village inspection of Phase I of the RDM. We propose Step (3) to be repeated at the beginning and end of Phases II to V of the RDM as part of tracking societal development and ultimately to integrate the development into the relevant cultural values. Implementing these steps will help to ensure all-rounded self-sufficient growth.
This proposal aims at filling the gaps that currently exist in measuring and quantifying culture, providing an adaptable and replicable framework for cultural sustainability evaluation. Furthermore, the model focuses on the needs and attitudes of the community, which is at the heart of the Lotus Project’s values.
NADIA JEFFRIE