Synergizing Folklore and Urban Values for Sustainable Liveability

Abstract

The synergy between rural and urban values is depicted as the source for local and global sustainability. This paper asserts that the folklore tradition of the rural people of Bangladesh promotes sustainability through their respect for nature, spiritual education and the common future of generations. Such values are embedded in the country’s economy, schools, media and other institutions where these messages are taught, articulated and promoted. The positive spiritual dispositions of rural people in Bangladesh towards natural calamities allow them to interpret such events as nature's tools for managing sustainable liveability. Bangladeshi rural communities also enjoy self-reliant living without destroying the country's base of natural resources in contrast to the city dwellers. Thus, the paper aims to establish that the implements for achieving global sustainability could be embedded in “rural modernization” – a way of blending rural values and folklore in city life.