269
buildings promise greater living comfort, represent progress, and comply with
today’s building regulations. Therefore, it is mostly traditionalists, parts of the
social upper class, and foreigners, such as the NGO Dindum, who are committed to
their preservation. The renovated buildings are then often used for tourism,
museums, or sometimes for handicraft cooperatives, which generates income in
rural areas.
In the field of agriculture material losses and changes are also noticeable, such as
a partial concrete lining of old water channels, a partially more intensive management
with drip irrigation, as well as agricultural intensification within the traditional oasis
system. Although the oasis system is still largely intact, the question arises how
further intensification will affect the availability and distribution of water resources
and thus also traditional water management.
Changes also occur in the Ahwash ritual. Undoubtedly, the Ahwash still has a
very great spiritual, community-building and identity-forming significance.
However, the ritual is also marketed for tourism and its musical elements are
incorporated into popular music. Although this brings money into the rural area and
increases awareness, there are also voices that are critical of this commercialization
and fear a simplification of the Ahwash and thus a decoupling from its original ritual
meaning. Of course, the Ahwash in Agdz was also influenced by the encounter with
Western artists within the framework of the project. In contrast to the changes
brought about by commercialization, however, these changes took place in a
participatory approach in which all participants had the choice of whether and to
what extent new ideas are integrated into the Ahwash.
The examples of earthen architecture, oasis agriculture, and the Ahwash ritual
reflect the great changes that are currently taking place. It is very clear that the
individual cultural elements are closely intertwined and should therefore be seen as
part of the socio-ecological system and not isolated. The question now arises as to
what impact the outlined changes could have on the future development of the
region. The transdisciplinary approach was chosen to better understand these
developments and interrelationships.
Transdisciplinarity
The collaboration of scientists from different disciplines with Moroccan and international artists allowed for observations from various viewpoints and the joined
development of teaching and learning formats. Through the involvement of local
actors and practitioners from the field of earthen architecture, interfaces to the local
community and to practice were established. The transdisciplinary approach has
made it possible to identify system contexts that would hardly have been recognizable
from a purely disciplinary perspective. From this, possible changes in the socioecological system could be estimated and possible options for action developed.
Some major cause-and-effect relationships and possible scenarios and leveling
points are outlined in Table 15.2.
15 The Atlas Workshops of Agdz, Morocco: A Model Region for a Scientific–Artistic…
buildings promise greater living comfort, represent progress, and comply with
today’s building regulations. Therefore, it is mostly traditionalists, parts of the
social upper class, and foreigners, such as the NGO Dindum, who are committed to
their preservation. The renovated buildings are then often used for tourism,
museums, or sometimes for handicraft cooperatives, which generates income in
rural areas.
In the field of agriculture material losses and changes are also noticeable, such as
a partial concrete lining of old water channels, a partially more intensive management
with drip irrigation, as well as agricultural intensification within the traditional oasis
system. Although the oasis system is still largely intact, the question arises how
further intensification will affect the availability and distribution of water resources
and thus also traditional water management.
Changes also occur in the Ahwash ritual. Undoubtedly, the Ahwash still has a
very great spiritual, community-building and identity-forming significance.
However, the ritual is also marketed for tourism and its musical elements are
incorporated into popular music. Although this brings money into the rural area and
increases awareness, there are also voices that are critical of this commercialization
and fear a simplification of the Ahwash and thus a decoupling from its original ritual
meaning. Of course, the Ahwash in Agdz was also influenced by the encounter with
Western artists within the framework of the project. In contrast to the changes
brought about by commercialization, however, these changes took place in a
participatory approach in which all participants had the choice of whether and to
what extent new ideas are integrated into the Ahwash.
The examples of earthen architecture, oasis agriculture, and the Ahwash ritual
reflect the great changes that are currently taking place. It is very clear that the
individual cultural elements are closely intertwined and should therefore be seen as
part of the socio-ecological system and not isolated. The question now arises as to
what impact the outlined changes could have on the future development of the
region. The transdisciplinary approach was chosen to better understand these
developments and interrelationships.
Transdisciplinarity
The collaboration of scientists from different disciplines with Moroccan and international artists allowed for observations from various viewpoints and the joined
development of teaching and learning formats. Through the involvement of local
actors and practitioners from the field of earthen architecture, interfaces to the local
community and to practice were established. The transdisciplinary approach has
made it possible to identify system contexts that would hardly have been recognizable
from a purely disciplinary perspective. From this, possible changes in the socioecological system could be estimated and possible options for action developed.
Some major cause-and-effect relationships and possible scenarios and leveling
points are outlined in Table 15.2.
15 The Atlas Workshops of Agdz, Morocco: A Model Region for a Scientific–Artistic…