Mongolians’ values and the environment
Shared values illuminate the distinctiveness of cultures, showing what a society's members value and prioritise. Munkhtamir will draw from field research conducted in Mongolia's Umnugovi Province to offer an anthropological perspective on Mongolians' individual and shared values.
Among the values articulated by individuals, a noteworthy emphasis on the environment emerges alongside the norms of morality, like honesty and being humane, as well as the importance of intangible elements like family, homeland, the pastoral lifestyle, traditions, and the worth of inherited material possessions, such as saddles and different crafts.
Research participants consistently expressed the value of their surrounding environment, including the mountains, rivers, and picturesque locations that symbolise their homelands. The importance and value of the environment actively kindles the consciousness of Mongolian nomads, instilling in them a profound love for and willingness to preserve their natural surroundings.
About the speaker
Munkhtamir Damdinsuren is currently a postgraduate student at Glasgow University. He has worked as academic secretary at the International Institute of the Study of Nomadic Civilizations under the auspices of UNESCO in Ulaanbaatar and on an ARC grant as a field researcher with Associate Professor Natasha Fijn, so is also affiliated with the ANU Mongolia Institute. He obtained a Masters degree in anthropology and international relations at the National University of Mongolia. His research interests are in environmental knowledge of nomads and cultural soft power relations.