Habitus: how cultural values shape local communities’ perceptions about flood in the Okavango Delta of Botswana

Abstract

Floods and flooding events are of central interest in the studies bordering on the Okavango Delta ecosystems, the sustainability of which depends on regular water flow. Nonetheless, as beneficial as flood pulses might be to the river basin and the riparian communities in and around it, extreme flooding events continue to impact on rural livelihoods systems and people’s well-being in the area. This chapter employs the concept of Pierre Bourdieu’s [1930-2002] habitus to explain how cultural values shape people’s perceptions and how they respond to natural phenomena (such as floods), which impinge on their living conditions. Through the application of Kurt Lewin’s [1890-1947] field theory and 3-step model of planned change, and in partial combination with Bourdieu’s field, the discourse offers insights on how scheduled change agencies could better understand the social forces that perpetuate undesired and desired behaviors of individuals comprising their clientele systems and how this understanding could enhance the application of appropriate planned change program for achieving behavioral change in the periods of emergency triggered by water inundation.