Cultural sustainability is the capacity of groups of people to develop and maintain modes of living on their own terms through knowledge, practices, social networks, and objects that hold significance for them. Over several centuries, the regions through which SEA operates have experienced dramatic changes from European and American mariners, missionaries, colonial governments, and migrations. New species of plants and animals were introduced, agriculture and fishing techniques altered, trading networks expanded, and community demographics impacted. SEA students examine relationships between people and their environment, appreciating the myriad ways current practices are firmly rooted in tradition while wrestling with the challenge of defining and applying concepts of cultural sustainability in the face of shifting global and regional processes. Student research methods include participant observation, such as attending ceremonies and joining people in their everyday activities, conducting structured individual and group interviews, and collecting photographic and audio-visual data.
Island Tourism Impacts
Tourism is the fastest growing economic sector for most island nations. Unfortunately, the corresponding increase in demand on island resources by the massive influx of visitors threatens the natural beauty and unique environments that attract tourists in the first place. In addition, much of the revenue earned through tourism activities does not stay on the islands or make it into the hands of residents. SEA Semester student projects highlight the unequal nature of tourism-focused development and analyze efforts to achieve a sustainable balance between economic growth, economic equity, and a healthy, productive and resilient environment.
Cultural identity
SEA students examine the various ways maritime peoples engage with essential questions of human cultural identity. These include indigenous movements; the role of history in shaping contemporary self-image; and the opportunities and obstacles presented by new ideas, emergent technologies, and social networks as means to define and redefine local connections to the sea, to each other, and to the wider world.
Trade
Investigate the regional impacts of trade, exploring the varied ways in which a trajectory of ever-increasing efficiency in water transport affects both large and small communities.
Traditional and local knowledge
Sustainable cultures require means of preserving and imparting highly adaptable skill sets that are learned and passed on. SEA students research knowledge of traditional navigation, art, subsistence fishing and gardening, transformations of raw materials into functional products, and local human and natural histories. Sustainable ways of knowing also include the often understated modes of adaptation to changing environmental conditions that are increasingly vital to community well-being.