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mediation processes, and what role music and dance play in these. This takes place
against the background of the overarching objective of sustainable rural development and socio-ecological resilience.
Keywords Southeast Morocco · Sustainable development · Socio-ecological
system · Interculturality · Transdisciplinarity · Inquiry-based learning · North–
South dialogue
Introduction
The globalized world is characterized by an increasing speed of physical and information flows and complex interactions and networks, which leads to rapid changes
in social–ecological systems that have emerged over long periods of time. This
leads to uncertainty among both the affected population and politicians and planners, since there is little time available for monitoring and guiding complex dynamic
processes and adapting to new political, social, and environmental conditions.
Prominent examples of these globally observable transformation processes, commonly referred to as “global change,” are population growth and increasing urbanization (United Nations 2014), climate change (IPCC 2014), loss of habitats and
biodiversity (Cardinale et al. 2012), soil degradation (UNCCD 2017), and chemical
pollution of water, soil, and air (Rockström et al. 2009).
According to the United Nations (2018), 55% of the world’s population already
lives in cities today—compared with only 30% in 1950—and this figure will rise to
68% by 2050. By contrast, the world’s rural population will peak at 3.4 billion in a
few years’ time and then fall to 3.1 billion by 2050. However, rural regions will
develop differently depending on geographical, socio-economic, cultural, and
infrastructural factors. While rural areas with good access to markets and resourcerich areas will attract new settlers, remote areas in the global arid regions without
rich mineral resources will hardly attract immigrants. Their low carrying capacity
makes them the regions with the lowest human well-being (MA 2005). These
regions often suffer from rural exodus and an aging society. Traditional knowledge
passed down from generation to generation is increasingly at risk as young people
move to big cities in search of work and better education, and those who stay in
rural areas often seek modernity in their living environments and deliberately break
with traditions or simply forget them. This threatens the material and immaterial
cultural heritage based on traditional knowledge.
In the project “The Atlas Workshops of Agdz, Morocco: A model region for a
scientific-artistic dialogue” we address sustainable rural development and cultural
heritage in the context of higher education. The project is part of the program
“University Dialogue with the Islamic World” that aims at strengthening cooperation
between higher education institutions in Germany and Islamic countries. Against
this background the four participating universities have jointly defined a project
scope with principles and objectives (Table 15.1).
U. Nehren et al.
mediation processes, and what role music and dance play in these. This takes place
against the background of the overarching objective of sustainable rural development and socio-ecological resilience.
Keywords Southeast Morocco · Sustainable development · Socio-ecological
system · Interculturality · Transdisciplinarity · Inquiry-based learning · North–
South dialogue
Introduction
The globalized world is characterized by an increasing speed of physical and information flows and complex interactions and networks, which leads to rapid changes
in social–ecological systems that have emerged over long periods of time. This
leads to uncertainty among both the affected population and politicians and planners, since there is little time available for monitoring and guiding complex dynamic
processes and adapting to new political, social, and environmental conditions.
Prominent examples of these globally observable transformation processes, commonly referred to as “global change,” are population growth and increasing urbanization (United Nations 2014), climate change (IPCC 2014), loss of habitats and
biodiversity (Cardinale et al. 2012), soil degradation (UNCCD 2017), and chemical
pollution of water, soil, and air (Rockström et al. 2009).
According to the United Nations (2018), 55% of the world’s population already
lives in cities today—compared with only 30% in 1950—and this figure will rise to
68% by 2050. By contrast, the world’s rural population will peak at 3.4 billion in a
few years’ time and then fall to 3.1 billion by 2050. However, rural regions will
develop differently depending on geographical, socio-economic, cultural, and
infrastructural factors. While rural areas with good access to markets and resourcerich areas will attract new settlers, remote areas in the global arid regions without
rich mineral resources will hardly attract immigrants. Their low carrying capacity
makes them the regions with the lowest human well-being (MA 2005). These
regions often suffer from rural exodus and an aging society. Traditional knowledge
passed down from generation to generation is increasingly at risk as young people
move to big cities in search of work and better education, and those who stay in
rural areas often seek modernity in their living environments and deliberately break
with traditions or simply forget them. This threatens the material and immaterial
cultural heritage based on traditional knowledge.
In the project “The Atlas Workshops of Agdz, Morocco: A model region for a
scientific-artistic dialogue” we address sustainable rural development and cultural
heritage in the context of higher education. The project is part of the program
“University Dialogue with the Islamic World” that aims at strengthening cooperation
between higher education institutions in Germany and Islamic countries. Against
this background the four participating universities have jointly defined a project
scope with principles and objectives (Table 15.1).
U. Nehren et al.