Periodic Reporting for period 1 - PatchWORK (A PATCH OF LAND: RE-CONSIDERING WORK AS A LIFE-SUSTAINING PRACTICE IN THE POST-SOCIALIST SEMI-PERIPHERY THROUGH INTERGENERATIONAL CHILDHOOD MEMORIES)
Período documentado: 2022-09-05 hasta 2025-03-04
The world’s dominant agribusinesses and cultivation practices of over-exploitation are one of the main causes of altering the earth’s surface, deforestation, desertification, and loss of biodiversity. Anthropologist Anna Tsing characterizes this condition as “patchy Anthropocene […] the uneven conditions of more-than-human livability in landscapes increasingly dominated by industrial forms” (2019: S186).
In European semi-periphery, on the other hand, traditional agricultural land use contributes to biodiversity, which points to relational, affective, and material entanglements of human work, social relations and the natural environment. In this context, the reforestation of meadows and cultivated fields, and the associated loss of biodiversity is not so much induced by over-exploitation of land as it is brought about by deagrarisation and abandonment of land cultivation. This points to a different kind of “patchiness of the world” (Tsing 2015: 4), whereby work related to subsistence practices can be understood as a central activity placing humans in a relationship with other living things, both human and more-than-human. PatchWORK applies an interdisciplinary approach to document local subsistence practices and knowledge by exploring intergenerational childhood memories to further our understanding about the relational ethic of entangled lives. The project employs an innovative interdisciplinary methodology that includes memory sharing workshops, sensory walks, life-history interviews, citizen science, and secondary analysis from previous ethnographic fieldwork.
The main objective of PatchWORK project is to bring together interdisciplinary expertise to document local practices and knowledge of sustainable land cultivation in the post-socialist semi-periphery through children’s intergenerational experiences that point to a relational ethic for entangled lives and mutual thriving. Within the overall project objective, the following research objectives were identified:
1. To map contemporary sustainable practices and document intergenerational stories of children’s participation in land cultivation, and uncover how knowledge, relations and ethics of land care unfold through these practices.
2. To examine intergenerational childhood memories of working on the land and hitherto related more-than-human entanglements, embedded knowledge of land care, and their relations to contemporary sustainable practices.
3. To analyse collected sustainable practices of land cultivation through the prism of intersectionality: how do gender relations and social class relate to children’s participation and the ethics of sustainable practices (e.g. a gendered division of work and care), and what are the implications for more-than-human reciprocity.
4. To theorize work on the land through a post-socialist de-colonial approach, that will allow me to propose a meaning and value of work beyond the capitalist understanding, pointing to work as a central human activity which sustains life, shapes and is shaped by environmental knowledge, ethics, and affect.
5. To disseminate and communicate stories and memories of sustainable land cultivation promoting intergenerational dialogue and knowledge transmission, and to present practices and knowledge, which can be brought into dominant discussions about sustainable futures.
In European semi-periphery, on the other hand, traditional agricultural land use contributes to biodiversity, which points to relational, affective, and material entanglements of human work, social relations and the natural environment. In this context, the reforestation of meadows and cultivated fields, and the associated loss of biodiversity is not so much induced by over-exploitation of land as it is brought about by deagrarisation and abandonment of land cultivation. This points to a different kind of “patchiness of the world” (Tsing 2015: 4), whereby work related to subsistence practices can be understood as a central activity placing humans in a relationship with other living things, both human and more-than-human. PatchWORK applies an interdisciplinary approach to document local subsistence practices and knowledge by exploring intergenerational childhood memories to further our understanding about the relational ethic of entangled lives. The project employs an innovative interdisciplinary methodology that includes memory sharing workshops, sensory walks, life-history interviews, citizen science, and secondary analysis from previous ethnographic fieldwork.
The main objective of PatchWORK project is to bring together interdisciplinary expertise to document local practices and knowledge of sustainable land cultivation in the post-socialist semi-periphery through children’s intergenerational experiences that point to a relational ethic for entangled lives and mutual thriving. Within the overall project objective, the following research objectives were identified:
1. To map contemporary sustainable practices and document intergenerational stories of children’s participation in land cultivation, and uncover how knowledge, relations and ethics of land care unfold through these practices.
2. To examine intergenerational childhood memories of working on the land and hitherto related more-than-human entanglements, embedded knowledge of land care, and their relations to contemporary sustainable practices.
3. To analyse collected sustainable practices of land cultivation through the prism of intersectionality: how do gender relations and social class relate to children’s participation and the ethics of sustainable practices (e.g. a gendered division of work and care), and what are the implications for more-than-human reciprocity.
4. To theorize work on the land through a post-socialist de-colonial approach, that will allow me to propose a meaning and value of work beyond the capitalist understanding, pointing to work as a central human activity which sustains life, shapes and is shaped by environmental knowledge, ethics, and affect.
5. To disseminate and communicate stories and memories of sustainable land cultivation promoting intergenerational dialogue and knowledge transmission, and to present practices and knowledge, which can be brought into dominant discussions about sustainable futures.
The fellow worked at the Faculty of Education and Culture under close supervision of prof. Zsuzsa Millei. During the fellowship, the fellow maintaned professional ties with ECEPP sub group of Child Politics led by Maiju Paananen and Zsuzsa Millei, and Child Ecology led by Zsuzsa Millei and Juliene Madureira Ferreira, and participated at their seminars and other activities. In addition, she maintained close ties with the secondment co-supervisor dr. Pauliina Rautio and AniMate research group at UOulu, as well as the non-academic co-supervisor Barbara Sosič from the Slovene Ethnographic Museum. The outcomes and results of the project reflect the positive learning environment and ongoing positive relationships at the host and secondment institutions.
From October to December 2022 and 15th May to 15th August 2023 the fellow conducted fieldwork and worked on an analysis of gathered material from January to March. The fellow also conducted secondary analysis of data gathered during her previous research projects (PhD and previous postdoctoral studies). While in her previous work, the fellow drew connections between children's participation in work and children's sociality and intersubjective meaning making, MSCA fellowship enabled her to expand these notions of work to more-than-human relational ontologies.
During the secondment, the fellow participated in the activities of the Biodiverse Anthropocene Programme and AniMATE reading group and received personalized training in Anthropocene studies and new knowledge in multispecies and human-animal studies. The fellow co-wrote a peer-reviewed article with Pauliina Rautio and prepared and implemented a guest lecture at UOulu (two sessions – a lecture and a reading session).
During the non-academic placemet, the fellow worked with The Slovene Ethnographic Museum and produced the museum exhibition titled “Stories of steljniki: The Interweaving of Common Bracken, Animals, and Humans,” which was opened on 21.2.2025 and is on display until 22.6.2025.
Scientific networking was greatly enhanced with this fellowship and the fellow created sustainable networks with which she will also collaborate in the future, especially the Child Politics and Child Ecology research groups at TUNI and AniMate research group at UOulu. Beside participating in the events of host and secondment institutions, the fellow expanded her network by participating in the Anthropology Seminar and the Anthropology of Childhood reading group at the Faculty of Social Sciences in Tampere, the Colloquia of Global Childhoods (University of Gothenburg) and Melissa-Sevasti Nolas´s Global Childhoods reading group (Goldsmiths University).
New knowledge on children's experiences of sustainable land cultivation and hitherto related more-than-human relationality also informed other scholars through the presentations of the project at international conferences and seminars, for example at the Seminar of Children and Work Network, Ecology of Labour, Child Politics at TAU, Biodiverse Anthropocene UOulu and at the Helsinki Social and Cultural Anthropology Seminar. Museum exhibition proved to be an important addition which increased the impact of the research among general public.
The project importantly enhanced international and interdisciplinary perspective and enabled the fellow to accumulate a large breadth of knowledge and set of skills. The fellow improved her teaching skills by completing two pedagogical courses, developing a course on the Anthropology od Childhood, facilitating doctoral seminar, supervising MA student and preparing three guest lectures. She improved her academic writing with completing the course on storytelling for academics and participating in writing groups, which resulted in writing two peer-reviewed articles, a photo essay, ZINE and a book proposal. This importantly contributed to the visibility of the fellow. She engaged in international research community with conference presentations, seminars, workhsops and reading groups, which extanded her scientific network. With the insitutional support of host institution, the fellow developed the transferrable skills such as independent research project management, leadership, open science, IP, data management and ethics. The fellowship provided the fellow with international and a highly relevant research environment, leadership and management experience, and made her a more internationally visible scholar.
From October to December 2022 and 15th May to 15th August 2023 the fellow conducted fieldwork and worked on an analysis of gathered material from January to March. The fellow also conducted secondary analysis of data gathered during her previous research projects (PhD and previous postdoctoral studies). While in her previous work, the fellow drew connections between children's participation in work and children's sociality and intersubjective meaning making, MSCA fellowship enabled her to expand these notions of work to more-than-human relational ontologies.
During the secondment, the fellow participated in the activities of the Biodiverse Anthropocene Programme and AniMATE reading group and received personalized training in Anthropocene studies and new knowledge in multispecies and human-animal studies. The fellow co-wrote a peer-reviewed article with Pauliina Rautio and prepared and implemented a guest lecture at UOulu (two sessions – a lecture and a reading session).
During the non-academic placemet, the fellow worked with The Slovene Ethnographic Museum and produced the museum exhibition titled “Stories of steljniki: The Interweaving of Common Bracken, Animals, and Humans,” which was opened on 21.2.2025 and is on display until 22.6.2025.
Scientific networking was greatly enhanced with this fellowship and the fellow created sustainable networks with which she will also collaborate in the future, especially the Child Politics and Child Ecology research groups at TUNI and AniMate research group at UOulu. Beside participating in the events of host and secondment institutions, the fellow expanded her network by participating in the Anthropology Seminar and the Anthropology of Childhood reading group at the Faculty of Social Sciences in Tampere, the Colloquia of Global Childhoods (University of Gothenburg) and Melissa-Sevasti Nolas´s Global Childhoods reading group (Goldsmiths University).
New knowledge on children's experiences of sustainable land cultivation and hitherto related more-than-human relationality also informed other scholars through the presentations of the project at international conferences and seminars, for example at the Seminar of Children and Work Network, Ecology of Labour, Child Politics at TAU, Biodiverse Anthropocene UOulu and at the Helsinki Social and Cultural Anthropology Seminar. Museum exhibition proved to be an important addition which increased the impact of the research among general public.
The project importantly enhanced international and interdisciplinary perspective and enabled the fellow to accumulate a large breadth of knowledge and set of skills. The fellow improved her teaching skills by completing two pedagogical courses, developing a course on the Anthropology od Childhood, facilitating doctoral seminar, supervising MA student and preparing three guest lectures. She improved her academic writing with completing the course on storytelling for academics and participating in writing groups, which resulted in writing two peer-reviewed articles, a photo essay, ZINE and a book proposal. This importantly contributed to the visibility of the fellow. She engaged in international research community with conference presentations, seminars, workhsops and reading groups, which extanded her scientific network. With the insitutional support of host institution, the fellow developed the transferrable skills such as independent research project management, leadership, open science, IP, data management and ethics. The fellowship provided the fellow with international and a highly relevant research environment, leadership and management experience, and made her a more internationally visible scholar.