Hearing the Past – Preserving the Future

Cultural heritage is seen in a variety of ways, through the arts, archaeology, folklore, agriculture, religion and other traditions. It is the food we eat, the clothes we wear, the religion we practice and the skills we learn. When a society’s heritage and narratives are ignored, the wisdom of ancestors is lost, and future innovations may be compromised. In the field of science, there is increasing work to preserve native practices, such as growing heritage crops and using traditional farming methods to counter the effects of extinction and loss of biodiversity. In what ways can other disciplines collaborate to preserve cultures? How may citizens use their voices to represent and safeguard their own history and that of their community? To what extent might our shared cultural heritage promote the sense of unity we long for?

Panel Moderator:  Michael Goerndt, MSU College of Agriculture

Panel Producer:  Christi Sudbrock, MSU College of Agriculture

• Live closed captioning is provided.