Shaped by Vegetal Matters

Elizabeth Oriel received her PhD in global studies from the University of London. She is currently based at Aarhus University, Denmark.

• Introduction: Shaped by Vegetal Matters: Phyto-Influences on Humans, Other Animals, and PlaceChapter 1: Vegetal Matters Shaping Human-Elephant Relations and CoexistenceChapter 2: Jacaranda Trees’ Affective PlacemakingChapter 3: Wapato and Camas: Plant Influences on Wapato IslandChapter 4: Social Worlds of Willow BasketryChapter 5: Ash Tree Worlding Conclusion: Vegetal Influences and Meeting of the MindsReferencesAbout the Author

This exceptional book reveals the exquisite interplay and interdependence between the animal (human and otherwise) and the vegetal worlds. Through stories of diverse lifeforms, ecosystems, and cultures, the crudeness of separation and hierarchy imposed by colonial capitalism are laid bare for us to re-examine and re-imagine. We see that we don’t shape plants and the vegetal world as much as they shape our inner and outer lives … and our very existence. As a wildlife scientist, this work has convinced me that we cannot truly protect elephants or other wildlife without giving greater priority to the biocultural needs of the vegetal world as it intersects with humans. Accordingly, we can improve the interests of humans who live and work closely within these systems but have been separated from their own traditional and indigenous ways of life.