Ancient Futures - BookWyrm

English language

Published July 26, 1991

ISBN:: 978-0-87156-643-0

(1 review)

When Helena Norberg-Hodge first visited Ladakh in 1975, she found a pristine environment, a self-reliant economy and a people who exhibited a remarkable joie de vivre. But then came a tidal wave of economic growth and development. Over the last four decades, this remote Himalayan land has been transformed by outside markets and Western notions of “progress.” As a direct result, a whole range of problems―from polluted air and water to unemployment, religious conflict, eating disorders and youth suicide―have appeared for the first time.

Yet this is far from a story of despair. Social and environmental breakdown, Norberg-Hodge argues, are neither inevitable nor evolutionary, but the products of political and economic decisions―and those decisions can be changed. In a new Preface, she presents a kaleidoscope of projects around the world that are pointing the way for both human and ecological well-being. These initiatives are the manifestation of a rapidly growing …

When Helena Norberg-Hodge first visited Ladakh in 1975, she found a pristine environment, a self-reliant economy and a people who exhibited a remarkable joie de vivre. But then came a tidal wave of economic growth and development. Over the last four decades, this remote Himalayan land has been transformed by outside markets and Western notions of “progress.” As a direct result, a whole range of problems―from polluted air and water to unemployment, religious conflict, eating disorders and youth suicide―have appeared for the first time.

Yet this is far from a story of despair. Social and environmental breakdown, Norberg-Hodge argues, are neither inevitable nor evolutionary, but the products of political and economic decisions―and those decisions can be changed. In a new Preface, she presents a kaleidoscope of projects around the world that are pointing the way for both human and ecological well-being. These initiatives are the manifestation of a rapidly growing localization movement, which works to rebuild place-based cultures―strengthening community and our connection with nature.

1 edition

Sean Bala reviewed Ancient Futures by Helena Norberg-Hodge

Review of 'Ancient Futures: Learning from Ladakh' on 'Goodreads'

4 stars

"Ancient Futures: Learning from Ladakh" by Helena Norberg-Hodge is a book that explores the idea of progress, technological evolution, and the loss of community and culture that seems so essential to modernity. Norberg-Hodge, a linguist, worked with traditional communities in Ladakh, a remote region in Northern India, in the 1970s. Part One of the book documents the traditional life of the people there and how they lived a life attuned to their environments. The people were not wealthy but on the whole, they were happier, healthier, and lives more rich and fulfilling lives. Part Two documents the opening of Ladakh to modernization and the severe, deleterious effects this process had on the people and the environment. Reading this book makes you questions the very notion of modernity - is environmental, social, and cultural destruction a side effect or its main feature? It also shows the fragility of culture. The book …

"Ancient Futures: Learning from Ladakh" by Helena Norberg-Hodge is a book that explores the idea of progress, technological evolution, and the loss of community and culture that seems so essential to modernity. Norberg-Hodge, a linguist, worked with traditional communities in Ladakh, a remote region in Northern India, in the 1970s. Part One of the book documents the traditional life of the people there and how they lived a life attuned to their environments. The people were not wealthy but on the whole, they were happier, healthier, and lives more rich and fulfilling lives. Part Two documents the opening of Ladakh to modernization and the severe, deleterious effects this process had on the people and the environment. Reading this book makes you questions the very notion of modernity - is environmental, social, and cultural destruction a side effect or its main feature? It also shows the fragility of culture. The book ends on a slightly optimistic note as it shows how ordinary Ladakhis are striving to preserve much of their culture that has been lost in the march towards progress. I have an interest in anti-modern thinkers or development critique and this book is one of the main texts of both movements. The book is pretty damning it its critique and I think it should be read widely.

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