Creating Sustainability in Culture: Real-Time Applied Anthropology

CHAIR: BABER, Willie L. (U Florida)
DISCUSSANT: DOWNING, Theodore (U Arizona)

ABSTRACT: One measure of effectiveness in applied anthropology can be found in the "stories" of those who have used anthropological knowledge to assist people in "creating
culture" through the discovery of new ways to better sustain ourselves. Unsustainable behaviors reduce the effectiveness of a culture as a continually adaptive process.
Sustainability requires a vision and practice not to consume beyond the renewal capacity of the landscapes upon which they are dependent. If culture is dynamic and purposeful,
then sustainability requires continuous "culture change" into the future. Another level of sustainable behaviors is illustrated by the perceived need to intervene, or not, in the
"culture" of subordinated peoples. wbaber@anthro.ufl.edu

Session Participants:
BABER, Willie L.
NIGH, Ronald (CIESAS)
IDRIS, Mussa (U Florida)
MOLES, Jerry

Session took place in Santa Fe, NM at the 69th Annual Meeting of the Society for Applied Anthropology in March 2009.