Throughout history, plants have shaped cultural narratives, functioning
as projection surfaces for ideas of power, belonging, nature and civilisation, and becoming symbols of resistance, home, exile,
knowledge, remembrance and oblivion. In art and literature, for example, they have been used as allegories of life and transience,
while in colonial contexts they have become tools of exploitation and control. Botanical knowledge production was closely
linked to imperial interests, contributing to the consolidation of Eurocentric systems of knowledge. Current debates demonstrate
the growing importance of plants in political struggles, ecological movements and postcolonial discourse. However, these meanings
are not fixed but are subject to constant re-evaluation depending on the political, social or economic climate. This conference
focuses on the multifaceted meanings of plants, placing particular emphasis on viewing them as active elements in historical
and contemporary negotiation processes.
Organized by
Anita Hosseini (Department of Art
History) and
Isabel Kranz (Department of Cultural Studies) moderated together with
Lisa
Marie Heuschober,
Maria Inês Lopes Vales &
Lorenzo ZerbiniPlease find the detailed programme and the abstracts on the
website
of the Department of Art History.
