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Description

In recent years, interest in the fungal kingdom has expanded considerably: its vast medicinal properties, its fundamental contribution to the renewal of life on Earth, and the underground mycelium networks that facilitate communication between
Trees transform it into a stimulating universe to explore. By following the trail of a very particular species for years, Anna Tsing—anthropologist, feminist, cultural theorist, and expert on the intricacies of capitalism—demonstrates how a simple fungus can unveil a fascinating global, political, and ecological web. Matsutake mushrooms sprout in landscapes altered by human activity. Like rats or cockroaches, they have the capacity to overcome environmental crises, only in this case, they are not a pest: on the contrary, in Japan, they are considered a prized delicacy. And, as if this were not enough, their presence helps forests regenerate. The unexpected assemblages of harvesters, shipping carriers, fungal spores, pines, and oaks guide Tsing on an ethnographic journey from Southeast Asia to Finland and the state of Oregon, in a meticulous and poetic adventure that allows her to discover the intricate forms of collaborative survival.

“Driven by a radical curiosity, Tsing practices the ethnography of ‘wild accumulation’ and ‘fragmented capitalism,’ the kind that can no longer promise progress but can instead spread devastation and precarity. There is no simple ethical, political, or theoretical point in her work, for she is not moved by a yearning for salvation or any other kind of optimistic politics; nor is it a cynical quietism in the face of the depth of the problem. On the contrary, this book proposes a commitment to living and dying in unexpected company.” —Donna Haraway

“If we intend to survive in the ruins of capitalism, we need models for establishing original connections between economics, culture, and biology. This book offers a wonderful example, starting with the unlikely case of a globalized fungus.” —Bruno Latour

Author
 Anna Lowenhaupt Tsing

Technical specifications
 Published by: Black Box
Year: 2023
Type: Book
Binding: Paperback
Dimensions: 12.5 x 19.5 cm
Weight: 380 gr
Spanish
Pages: 448
ISBN: 978-987-8272-09-2

Anna Lowenhaupt Tsing

The mushrooms of the end of the world: on the possibility of life in capitalist ruins

$46.000
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Description

In recent years, interest in the fungal kingdom has expanded considerably: its vast medicinal properties, its fundamental contribution to the renewal of life on Earth, and the underground mycelium networks that facilitate communication between
Trees transform it into a stimulating universe to explore. By following the trail of a very particular species for years, Anna Tsing—anthropologist, feminist, cultural theorist, and expert on the intricacies of capitalism—demonstrates how a simple fungus can unveil a fascinating global, political, and ecological web. Matsutake mushrooms sprout in landscapes altered by human activity. Like rats or cockroaches, they have the capacity to overcome environmental crises, only in this case, they are not a pest: on the contrary, in Japan, they are considered a prized delicacy. And, as if this were not enough, their presence helps forests regenerate. The unexpected assemblages of harvesters, shipping carriers, fungal spores, pines, and oaks guide Tsing on an ethnographic journey from Southeast Asia to Finland and the state of Oregon, in a meticulous and poetic adventure that allows her to discover the intricate forms of collaborative survival.

“Driven by a radical curiosity, Tsing practices the ethnography of ‘wild accumulation’ and ‘fragmented capitalism,’ the kind that can no longer promise progress but can instead spread devastation and precarity. There is no simple ethical, political, or theoretical point in her work, for she is not moved by a yearning for salvation or any other kind of optimistic politics; nor is it a cynical quietism in the face of the depth of the problem. On the contrary, this book proposes a commitment to living and dying in unexpected company.” —Donna Haraway

“If we intend to survive in the ruins of capitalism, we need models for establishing original connections between economics, culture, and biology. This book offers a wonderful example, starting with the unlikely case of a globalized fungus.” —Bruno Latour

Author
 Anna Lowenhaupt Tsing

Technical specifications
 Published by: Black Box
Year: 2023
Type: Book
Binding: Paperback
Dimensions: 12.5 x 19.5 cm
Weight: 380 gr
Spanish
Pages: 448
ISBN: 978-987-8272-09-2

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Anna Lowenhaupt Tsing

The mushrooms of the end of the world: on the possibility of life in capitalist ruins

$46.000

In recent years, interest in the fungal kingdom has expanded considerably: its vast medicinal properties, its fundamental contribution to the renewal of life on Earth, and the underground mycelium networks that facilitate communication between
Trees transform it into a stimulating universe to explore. By following the trail of a very particular species for years, Anna Tsing—anthropologist, feminist, cultural theorist, and expert on the intricacies of capitalism—demonstrates how a simple fungus can unveil a fascinating global, political, and ecological web. Matsutake mushrooms sprout in landscapes altered by human activity. Like rats or cockroaches, they have the capacity to overcome environmental crises, only in this case, they are not a pest: on the contrary, in Japan, they are considered a prized delicacy. And, as if this were not enough, their presence helps forests regenerate. The unexpected assemblages of harvesters, shipping carriers, fungal spores, pines, and oaks guide Tsing on an ethnographic journey from Southeast Asia to Finland and the state of Oregon, in a meticulous and poetic adventure that allows her to discover the intricate forms of collaborative survival.

“Driven by a radical curiosity, Tsing practices the ethnography of ‘wild accumulation’ and ‘fragmented capitalism,’ the kind that can no longer promise progress but can instead spread devastation and precarity. There is no simple ethical, political, or theoretical point in her work, for she is not moved by a yearning for salvation or any other kind of optimistic politics; nor is it a cynical quietism in the face of the depth of the problem. On the contrary, this book proposes a commitment to living and dying in unexpected company.” —Donna Haraway

“If we intend to survive in the ruins of capitalism, we need models for establishing original connections between economics, culture, and biology. This book offers a wonderful example, starting with the unlikely case of a globalized fungus.” —Bruno Latour

Author
 Anna Lowenhaupt Tsing

Technical specifications
 Published by: Black Box
Year: 2023
Type: Book
Binding: Paperback
Dimensions: 12.5 x 19.5 cm
Weight: 380 gr
Spanish
Pages: 448
ISBN: 978-987-8272-09-2

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