Pflanzenethnographie

Plant ethnography refers to ethnographic engagements with plants as living, sentient beings that actively participate in and shape social relationships. Plant ethnographies explore human-plant relationships in indigenous communities as well as in the contexts of plantations and agriculture, in gardens, in public (urban) spaces and in scientific institutions such as laboratories and botanical collections. A particular challenge plant ethnographers face is the question of representation in view of the radical alterity of plants. To meet these challenges plant ethnographers have highlighted the importance of cultivating forms of attentiveness to plant being and draw inspiration from artistic methods and approaches.