Living With Others: On Multispecies Resurgence in the Altered Forest Landscapes of the Anthropocene

Mads Ejsing*

*Corresponding author for this work

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Abstract

Through an encounter with a plantation forest in western Denmark called Klosterheden, this article explores the possibilities for what Anna Tsing calls multispecies resurgence – the ability of ecologies to survive and recover through interspecies cooperation. Highlighting endangered conditions for ongoing survival in a world of Anthropocene proliferations, the article tells three entangled stories of how the forest landscapes in Klosterheden have changed in the past century: First, the story of the forest as a landscape of war. Then, the story of the forest as a landscape of multispecies companionship. And finally, the story of the forest as a landscape in between resurgence and disrepair. The overarching argument is that in an Anthropocene world altered by human activities, ongoing survival requires renewed care and attention towards the complexities of multispecies resurgence. This entails, among other things, making space for the resurgent dynamics of natural ecologies and recognizing the limits of human existence vis-à-vis other forms of earthly life.
Original languageEnglish
JournalJournal of Political Ecology
Volume30
Issue number1
Pages (from-to)316-334
ISSN1073-0451
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2023

Keywords

  • Faculty of Social Sciences
  • Anthropocene
  • Multispecies resurgence
  • Climate change
  • Plantation
  • Forests

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