Cultural Resilience in the Face of globalization : Lessons from the Penan of Borneo

Shorna, Allred and Roger, Harris and Tariq, Zaman and Narayanan, Kulathuramaiyer and Garen, Jengan (2022) Cultural Resilience in the Face of globalization : Lessons from the Penan of Borneo. Human Ecology, 50. pp. 447-462. ISSN 1572-9915

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Abstract

We examine the concept of cultural resilience among the eastern Penan community of Long Lamai in the Malaysian state of Sarawak on the island of Borneo. Long Lamai is in the Heart of Borneo, a global conservation priority region that contains some of the planet’s most biologically diverse equatorial rainforest habitats. The Penan have undergone significant and rapid evolutions in their lifestyle, including transitioning from being a nomadic tribe living and subsisting wholly in the rainforest to a settled community in the village of Long Lamai over the past 60 years. We utilize participatory research methods to examine how the Penan indigenous community defines resilience and how this relates to aspects of their cultural identity that they want to maintain in the face of globalization. Results identify which dimensions of culture are relevant to Penan resilience and provide insights into enhancing indigenous communities’ cultural resilience.

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