Exploring Etho-ecologies
Natural/Social entities and the environments they inhabit must be engaged with equally – if a shared future is to be considered for human and non humans. In times when disaster events are escalating beyond human’s governable capacities, and when debates on climate change, risk and resilience are intensifying, there is a felt urgency that actions must be taken towards building sustainable futures. A greater importance is being afforded to natural entities that are governed by human societies but upon which they also depend. To begin thinking about a shared future, in LVS 2018, we seek to understand the composition of environment and the social, cultural and natural landscapes; what do these consist of and how can we think collectively with nature and culture.
In 2015 an earthquake of 8.2 hit Chitral causing devastating damage to physical property, infrastructure and human lives. The fault-line of Earthquake was marked in close proximity of Laspur Valley. Laajverd Visiting School will be conducted in Laspur and adjoining valleys to understand the natural-social relations amidst the challenges of natural hazards, environmental degradation, and the recent surge of slip shot development. Engaging with the concept of etho-ecologies, we will focus on natural environment, culture, architecture and natural landscapes to identify correlations, interdependencies and potential synergies upon which we might speculate a shared future.
LVS is an inter-disciplinary platform comprising of workshops, seminars, field trips and opportunities to experience cultural practices, local music and food. Through rigorous research activities and tutorials, participants will learn to use a range of research methods, develop projects with local community, explore techniques of presentation, and carry out cross-curricular research projects.