Browsing by Author "Jardine, Siraj"
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- ItemExploring the role of music in fostering resilience in transformative spaces toward improved ecosystem stewardship : a case study of Reforest Fest(Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2019-04) Jardine, Siraj; Preiser, Rika; Jorritsma, Marie; Biggs, Reinette, 1979-; Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences. School of Public Leadership.ENGLISH SUMMARY : In the Anthropocene, the inextricable connections between humans and nature are undeniable. The social-ecological systems perspective acknowledges these connections between humans and nature, and the notion of resilience is an emergent property of these systems. Resilience is understood to be a system’s ability to persist, adapt, or transform in the face of change, especially unexpected change, with a goal of improving human wellbeing. The capacity for transformation is increasingly acknowledged as a key aspect of resilience. The resilience concept also acknowledges interactions between smaller and larger scales within a system. An application of these concepts can be found in small-scale, experimental transformative spaces that may encourage large-scale transformations in the wider system. Recent studies suggest that the arts have contributed to fostering transformation in these spaces, but there has been little research on the role of music (as a form of art) in fostering resilience in transformative spaces. Reforest Fest, a reforestation music festival in the Western Cape Province of South Africa, is a transformative space with music at its core. The festival’s goal is to improve ecosystem stewardship, which is an approach to managing social-ecological systems in the face of change to enhance human wellbeing. This thesis uses Reforest Fest as a case study, gathering data through immersive participation, participant observation, and interviews, and analysing the results using Katrina Brown’s framework of “resistance”, “rootedness”, and “resourcefulness” to explore the role of music in fostering resilience. The key finding is that music played a crucial role in fostering rootedness at the festival and, in turn, facilitated resistance and resourcefulness in the space. Through rootedness, music also played a role in fostering the transformative space itself. This has implications for the further use of musical elements in transformative spaces, contributing to the literature on transformative spaces that aim to support sustainability transformations and ecosystem stewardship at multiple interlinked scales.