Plant People: Posthuman Ecologies in Contemporary Fiction
Name of applicant
Astrid Møller-Olsen
Title
Postdoctoral Fellow
Institution
Lund University
Amount
DKK 1,338,566
Year
2023
Type of grant
Reintegration Fellowships
What?
In my Plant People project, I look at contemporary plant-inspired fiction from across the globe. I analyse how trees can help human beings understand history on a planetary level, how writing about flowers can change how we think about sex and gender, and how thinking like a plant might be a path towards living more sustainably.
Why?
In recent years, it has become clear that humans need to rethink themselves not as masters of the universe but as co-inhabitants and carers for planet Earth. I find that literature is the perfect trial ground for such thought experiments. It is a place where authors can let their imagination run wild, experiment with large scale models, and create visions for the future inspired by plants.
How?
Just as our planet is home to multiple species, our societies are home to multiple languages. In order to advance the democratisation of world literature, I work with fiction written in Chinese but originating across the globe. I use translation theory to explore the relationship between text and reader as well as inter-species entanglements between plants and people.