Mentalities Shaped by Geography: How Diverse Environments Influence Narrative Traditions

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Published Sep 17, 2022
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Vol. 3 No. 2 (2022): American and European quests

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Dr. Brandon Spars
Sonoma Academy

Abstract

The article explores the evolution of human mentalities through storytelling, tracing a shift in narrative focus from survival-oriented nomadic societies to settled agricultural communities. The author argues that this shift, around 11,000 BCE, led to a transformation in storytelling values, emphasizing personal desire and the institution of marriage over communal survival. Drawing on examples from various cultures, the paper examines how geographic factors influenced storytelling, culminating in the celebration of heroes and the preservation of domestic spheres in river valley civilizations. The author further explores the reorientation of storytelling in island cultures, emphasizing the purity of place over racial purity. The article concludes with a reflection on modern storytelling, linking it to the persistence of racist mentalities and the shaping of narratives around borders and racial boundaries.


DOI:
https://doi.org/10.61439/DYPZ3866

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Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.

Author Biography

Dr. Brandon Spars, Sonoma Academy

Author, teacher and storyteller. He received his doctorate in an interdisciplinary program at UC Berkeley in 2002. He has contributed to countless workshops and conferences on the intersection between storytelling, ancient history, and pedagogy. He has been a college and high school instructor for twenty-five years, primarily at UC Berkeley and Sonoma Academy. He has also taught at the College of the Marshall Islands, The Padang Teaching Institute in Sumatra, The University of Mahasaraswati in Bali, Indonesia.

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