著名探险家谈论消失的文化
January 30, 2008
08-017
著名探险家谈论消失的文化
VALDOSTA - National Geographic Society Explorer-In-Residence,
Wade Davis, will visit campus Feb. 13 to share universal truths he
has gleaned from 25 years of world travels to remote and often
forgotten societies. The Presidential Lecture Series presentation,
sure to be accompanied by exquisite photographs and equally
colorful tales, will be held at 7 p.m. in the Fine Arts Building’s
Whitehead Auditorium.
The writer, photographer, filmmaker and author of 11 books will
speak specifically about his latest book, “Light at the Edge of the
World: A Journey through the Realm of Vanishing Cultures.” The
book, which was published in 2002, explores the practices and
beliefs of indigenous cultures that have remained largely untouched
by the forces of modernization. The passionate anthropologist
insists that the world can benefit from the knowledge and outlook
of such cultures, and that the demise of indigenous peoples will
diminish all societies.
"It is my hope that these photographs and stories will provide a
moving and visceral sense of the wondrous diversity and character
of. . .the sum of all thoughts, beliefs, myths, and intuitions made
manifest today by the myriad cultures of the world,” Davis, who
received the $125,000 Lannan Foundation Literary Award for
Nonfiction in 2002, wrote in the book.
Dr. Matthew Richard, associate professor of Cultural Anthropology
at vs上, said humans are enriched through the sharing of cultural
practices and knowledge. A world reduced to a single culture,
Richard said, faces a similar danger that species with little
genetic variability experience - the inability to adapt. Davis’
lecture will address these dangers and suggest means to embrace
diverse cultures.
“Those of us in anthropology fully understand how cultural
homogenization is a spiritual catastrophe. As human variation
disappears, our understanding of the human condition contracts. In
short, we lose perspective on what is possible to do and to be as a
human being,” said Richard. “Davis' most recent book, "Light at the
Edge of the World" is about this continuing tragedy.”
Described by ABC’s “20/20” as a real life Indiana Jones, Davis’
expeditions have been the subject of about 600 media reports and
accounts, including three episodes of the “X-files” television
series. Continuing his association with the screen, Davis plans to
be a character in an upcoming MacGillivray Freeman IMAX film,
“Water Planet: a Grand Canyon Adventure,” which will appear in the
spring of 2008.
Davis, who received a Ph.D. in Ethnobotany from Harvard University,
has spoken to more than 120 universities about his passion to
celebrate the wonder and diversity of humanity. "Light at the Edge
of the World" is available online at Amazon.com for about
$15.
vs上’s 总统办公室 and 艺术学院 &
Sciences is sponsoring Davis’s lecture. For more information about
the Presidential Lecture Series or Davis’s presentation, please
call the 艺术学院 & Sciences at (229)
333-5699.
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