Agroecocultural Sustainability: Intercultural Land Stewardship in Auroville, India

Abstract

The objective of this capstone is to explore how intercultural influences and dynamics shape land stewardship models within the international intentional community of Auroville, India. This research specifically attempts to delineate how culturally diverse agriculture and reforestation practices have contributed to both the sustainability and regeneration of Auroville's ecosystem and the development of a sense of community among its members. The overarching goal of this research is to examine how intercultural land stewardship contributes to the creation of ecocultural civilizations. This work draws from twenty interviews conducted with various land stewards in Auroville and is informed by six months of participant observation research collected while living in the community and volunteering on farms/reforestation projects. This project is presented as an ethnography that elevates the lived experiences of land stewardship embodied by co-collaborators who shared their knowledge, belief, and practices through reciprocal ethnography. The analysis examines the complex sociocultural environment of Auroville and the multitude of sustainability ideations shared with me by participants. Cultural collaborations and conflicts are engaged through a lens that explores Auroville within its regional context and history. Cultural Sustainability as a field is engaged through multiple interpretations, including how cultures can be sustained in an intercultural utopian project as well as how cultures of sustainability can be formed through alternative societal structures. This capstone concludes with recommendations that suggest ways the community might resolve internal issues and deviations from its original values. The conclusion also provides insights into how the information gathered during this research project can be applied to the development of urban agricultural models in Baltimore, Maryland.