Sustainability And Culture: People’s Perception Of SustainabilityAnd Its Cultural Construction - A Sociological Study

Abstract

Temporal and spatial concepts are crucial to sustainability issues and a concept of the ‘future’ may depend upon ethnicity, linguistic background, lifestyle and the life expectancy.  Many currently threatened natural systems are in locations where the indigenous people have a linguistic and conceptual background very different from those in so-called developed countries. One example is the Bajau people who live off the southeast coast of Sulawesi in Indonesia, close to highly endangered coral reefs.  How can we connect the “future perspective’ mismatch between Austronesian people like the Bajau and conservationists from developed countries who want to protect the reef for future generations? These raise questions and moral challenges for us in dealing with cultural practices of indigenous people and cultural practices of modern people for the ways in which they shape the concept of sustainability.