{"title":"Redefining ‘cultural values’ – the economics of cultural flows","authors":"Siobhan Davies, Jason Wilson, M. Ridges","doi":"10.1080/13241583.2020.1795339","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"ABSTRACT Cultural flows are water allocations to Aboriginal groups to maintain cultural values. Economic frameworks treat cultural values as sites or places where ‘cultural activities’ take place. A cultural flow is then a discretionary allocation of water to ‘water’ those sites, in the same way that water is delivered to irrigators to water their crops. This water allocation framework, in which environmental, irrigation or cultural values are traded off in a zero-sum game, is grounded in economic and legal frameworks that treat spiritual, environmental, economic and social values as separate and unconnected value domains. In contrast, within Aboriginal ontology each value domain is inherently connected, and cannot be traded off against the others. Interpreting cultural beliefs as akin to a recreational activity ignores the relationship between cultural belief and Aboriginal economic and social organisation. We use a case study of the Narran Lakes area of NSW to explore the relationship between cultural beliefs and the way in which Country was managed under cultural law. Understanding this relationship is important in the economic analysis of cultural flows.","PeriodicalId":51870,"journal":{"name":"Australasian Journal of Water Resources","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":2.4000,"publicationDate":"2020-07-31","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1080/13241583.2020.1795339","citationCount":"7","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Australasian Journal of Water Resources","FirstCategoryId":"1085","ListUrlMain":"https://doi.org/10.1080/13241583.2020.1795339","RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":null,"ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q2","JCRName":"WATER RESOURCES","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 7
Abstract
ABSTRACT Cultural flows are water allocations to Aboriginal groups to maintain cultural values. Economic frameworks treat cultural values as sites or places where ‘cultural activities’ take place. A cultural flow is then a discretionary allocation of water to ‘water’ those sites, in the same way that water is delivered to irrigators to water their crops. This water allocation framework, in which environmental, irrigation or cultural values are traded off in a zero-sum game, is grounded in economic and legal frameworks that treat spiritual, environmental, economic and social values as separate and unconnected value domains. In contrast, within Aboriginal ontology each value domain is inherently connected, and cannot be traded off against the others. Interpreting cultural beliefs as akin to a recreational activity ignores the relationship between cultural belief and Aboriginal economic and social organisation. We use a case study of the Narran Lakes area of NSW to explore the relationship between cultural beliefs and the way in which Country was managed under cultural law. Understanding this relationship is important in the economic analysis of cultural flows.
期刊介绍:
The Australasian Journal of Water Resources ( AJWR) is a multi-disciplinary regional journal dedicated to scholarship, professional practice and discussion on water resources planning, management and policy. Its primary geographic focus is on Australia, New Zealand and the Pacific Islands. Papers from outside this region will also be welcomed if they contribute to an understanding of water resources issues in the region. Such contributions could be due to innovations applicable to the Australasian water community, or where clear linkages between studies in other parts of the world are linked to important issues or water planning, management, development and policy challenges in Australasia. These could include papers on global issues where Australasian impacts are clearly identified.