Ancient Futures-DVD

LIST PRICE: $20.00
SALE PRICE: $15.00

Through the story of Ladakh, a region in India in the Himalayas, this film enables students to confront the devastating impact of "progress." They see the root causes of environmental, social and pyschological problems that arise when a traditional society is invaded by Western investment, culture and consumer goods.

This is an extraordinarily useful film that uses one case study to consider some of the intimate meanings of "globalization." Ladakh is a wildly beautiful desert high land of few resources and extreme cold most of the year. Yet for more than a thousand years, it has been home to a thriving culture. Traditions of frugality and cooperation, coupled with a place-specific knowledge of the environment, enabled Ladakhis not only to survive, but to prosper. Then came "development."