Traditions challenged by transitional change : A study of what can be learned from the overcoming of change in work and other habits by the reindeerherding nomad Dukha community

Abstract: The Dukha people are nomadic pastoralists who also supplement their income from tourism and their diet from hunting and gathering. The Dukha community has gone through and overcome numerous changes in conditions over the years. Dukha have been forced by the government to leave Mongolia, they have been forced to harvest their own reindeer in great numbers to avoid starving, seen their way through socialism and forced collectivization of all livestock and after that they have handled a quick transition into market economy. In recent years they have been affected by both increasing tourism and national urbanization, two variables that both are creating circumstances which modifies their way of working and living. In the western society we have lately altered our way of working to be more flexible with the ambition to set us more free, yet this has partly resulted in that we create stress among our workers as they no longer can grasp and handle the fine line between free time and work. In this thesis I intend to reason about work and the challenges in work for the Dukha people and their community and how we might learn from their working-life and doings and the changes in work that they have gone through. Also, what circumstances created by change can Dukha expect in their near future and how can this be supported and best handled by their outside world. My study was conducted through a participating field study during 45 days among the Dukha families. I set out to investigate with the question of study “what can be learned through a working life science perspective from the Dukha community?”. In order to get the answers of these questions I use three core questions that are connected to three themes, work, tourism and sustainability. My conclusions are that we have many things to learn from the Dukha community and that the contribution in this thesis is new perspectives on perks and downsides of work without boundaries. Also, I let the Dukha people determine definitions of work and the concept of work using their daily reasons of prioritizing their doings.