ColinParts
AboutNature
ProfessorJasarevic
NatureThroughNurture:GrowingMushroomsandExploringRelationships
InUnrulyEdges:MushroomsasaCompanionSpecies,AnnaTsinghighlights
thewaysinwhichhumanrelationshipswithnonhumanspeciesaremutually
transformative.Herwritingparticularlyexploresthewaysinwhichmushrooms
havechangedalongwithhumansovertime,claimingfungiareacompanionspecies
tohumans(atermoriginatedbyDonnaHaraway).Tsingstates:“thepresenceof
fungioftentellusofthechangingpracticesofbeinghuman,”(145).Afterseeingone
online,IwonderedwhataDoItYourself(DIY)mushroomgrowingkitmightbeable
totellus,usingTsing’stheory.Ipurchasedakitandhaditdeliveredtomyhouse(a
capitalistnetworkofexchange).TherewerethreemainquestionsthatIkeptinmy
mindasIbegantocareformycompanions.First,whatdothesehomemushroom
kitstellusaboutthehumancondition?Next,sinceTsingdiscussesmushroomsasa
specieslivingontheedgesofsociety,dotheselivingroomkitsmeanwecannotsee
mushroomsasedgespeciesanylonger?Andfinally,dotheapparentcontradictions
toherworkinherentinthiskitmeanTsingiswrongandmustbedisregarded?I
foundthatallthreeofthesequestionscometogetherinathoughtprocessaboutthe
placehumanshaveinnature.Duringmytimeraisingthemushrooms,Icametothe
conclusionthattheseDIY“natures”containedwithinthemushroomkitarereallyan
extensionofthewaythatTsingconceivesofhumansexistingmutuallywithnature.
Thesekitshelpustorecapitulatearelationshipwithnaturethatdomesticationand
capitalismhavesoughttodestroy.
Inordertounderstandmyconclusion,itisbesttobeginbyansweringmy
questions.Iwillfirstpresentmybasicanswersbeforegoingintofurtherdetail.In
answertomyfirstquestion:Ifoundthatthekitstellusanumberofdifferentthings
aboutthehumancondition.AsDIYhasgainedpopularity,ithasbecomeapush
awayfromdomesticationandthealienationfromproductsoflaborthatcapitalism
enforces.NotonlydoesDIYcultureallowpeople(moreimportantly,women)to
becomeproducersandsubvertthecapitaliststructures,itallowsthemtodoso
withinthesanctumsanctorumofpatriarchaldomestication,thehome.ThroughDIY,
womencanproduceandbeagentivewhiletheyhadpreviouslybeenisolatedand
forciblymadedependent.Ifoundthatmysecondquestionallowedmetoexplore
thedifferenttypesofmushroomsthatcanbefoundattheedgesofcivilizationand
comparethemtothemushroomsthatIgrewinmylivingroom.Themore“rare”and
“valuable”mushroomsthatliveontheedgesofsociety(matsutake,moreletc.)
cannotbegrowninthesamewayIcangrowoystermushroomsinmyhome.Ifound
thateventhe“domesticated”mushroomsinmylivingroomhadtheuncontrolled
(really,undomesticated)agencyto“domesticate”meinreturn.Byansweringthese
twoquestions,Ifound(tomyrelief)thattheanswertomythirdquestionwasno,
Tsingisdecidedlynotwrongandcannotbedisregarded.Attheendofherworkon
mushroomsascompanionspecies,Tsingexplainshowmushroomsgatherthetoxins
oftheworldintothemselves,andshowhumanswhatwehavewroughtonthe
world.Weknowwhatisbeingputintotheworld,andwithmushroomsasour
companionspecies,wearemoving(slowly)awayfromtheeraofmassmonocrop
farming.ThegrowthintheDIYtrendandthepseudo-domesticationinherentwithin
thattrendshowthatpeoplearesearchingforwaystocontrolwhatgoesintothe
productstheyconsume,freefromtheglobalsocietalstructurescurrentlyinplace.
Wearecreatingourownnaturestogetherwiththemushroomswegrowathome.
Toexplainmyanswertothefirstquestioninmoredetail,itisfirstimportant
tounderstandtheconceptofacompanionspecies.DonnaHaraway,thewriterwho
originatedtheideaofacompanionspecies,explains:“IamwhoIbecomewith
companionspecies,whoandwhichmakeamessoutofcategoriesinthemakingof
kinandkind,”(19).Tsingsayshumansandmushroomsbecomewhatweare
throughourinteractions,sowhatdoDIYmushroomkitstellusaboutwhoweare
becoming?Rebels!Theideaofdoingsomethingyourselfisatoncehighlyexciting
andquiterevolutionary.InhisworkTheRevolutionWillNotBeMicrowaved:Inside
America’sUndergroundFoodMovements,SandorKatzexplainsthat:“becominga
producersubvertstheconsumeristparadigm,”andallowsustoescapethecapitalist
networksintowhichwehavebecomeentrenched(30).Now,tobuyakit(usinga
capitalistnetwork)thatIclaimallowsmetosubvertthecapitalistnetworkmay
seemsomewhatcontradictory.However,theclaimthatonemustworkfromwithin
thesystemtooverturnthesystemmaybeavaliddefenseofmyactions.Asaresult,
withhomegrownmushroomswecanbecomerebelsagainstcapitaliststructures.
Inadditiontomyattemptstosubvertacapitalistparadigm,Ialsobelieve
thatDIYprojectsareawayforwomentobecomerebelsagainstthepatriarchal
paradigm.InTheSecondSex,SimoneDeBeauvoirlamentsthestationthatthe
patriarchyforcesuponwomen.“Shutupinthehome,womancannotherself
establishherexistence;shelacksthemeansrequisiteforself-affirmationasan
individual;andinconsequence,herindividualityisnotgivenrecognition,”(526).In
“UnrulyEdges,”TsingechoesBeauvoir’sdisdainforthedomesticationofwomen
andsetsforthmushroom-gatheringasaformofrebellionagainstforced
domestication.Womencanleavethehomeandgathersustenancewithouthavingto
dependonmen.Atfirstglance,akitthatmovesmushrooms,Tsing’sidolof
rebellion,intothehomemayseemtobefurtherdomestication.Ratherthanbeing
forcedtoexistthroughthebeneficenceofaman,though,womenareabletoproduce
forthemselves,whilestillwithinthehome.Themushroomsthemselves,asa
companionspeciesarenotthen“domesticated”butratherpartofawoman’sproject
ofliberation.Menandwomencanbecomeindividuals(andrebels)throughour
interactionswithhomegrownmushrooms.
Inthinkingaboutthevalueofmushrooms,wecanbegintoanswerthe
secondquestion.Itmustbesaidthatthemushrooms(oyster,shiitake,buttonetc.)
typicallygrowninaDIYkitarenotthemushroomsmostvaluedbyhumans.“High
value”mushrooms,suchasmorelormatsutake,areinsomecasesimpossibleto
domesticate.In“BlastedLandscapes(AndtheGentleArtofMushroomPicking),”
AnnaTsingdescribestherarityandvalueofmatsutakemushrooms.“Matsutake
cannotbecultivated.Theyrequirehistoriesofradicaldisturbancefortheir
associationswithpioneerplantsandmineralsoils.Matsutakeforeststhusteachus
aboutsystemsofworldmakingandenergysharingthatreachbeyondtheconceits
offarming,withitsappealstostableharmoniesbetweenpeopleandcrops.“These
mushroomscanfetchpricesofover¥100,000perkginparticularlylowharvest
years1.Giventhereadysupplyandhighdemandforundomesticablemushrooms,it
isclearthattheedgesinwhichmushroomsgrowstillthrive.
Additionally,ifonebelievesthatthemushroomsIpurchasedwere
domesticated,thoughIremainunconvinced,Iwouldarguethatthey,too,have
domesticatedme.Thispositionallowsadeeperanswertomysecondquestion.In
theirdiscussionoftheinteractionsbetweenplantsandinsects,CarlaHustakand
NatashaMyersstate:“[researchers]areproducingfascinatingaccountsofplantsas
practitionerswiththeingenuityand‘know-how’to‘befriend’insectsand‘defend’
themselvesagainstherbivores,”(79).Whilefungiarenotplants,andIamnotan
insect,themushroomshadtheknow-howtobefriendmeandmakemethinkof
themduringourtimetogether.ThecoldoftheChicagowinterwasapparently
leakingthroughthewindowbywhichIhadplacedthemushrooms,andtheytaught
metobeawareoftheirtemperaturebynotgrowingatthepaceIwasexpecting.
TheymademethinkaboutthemeverymorningasIwateredthemandevery
eveningasIcamebackhomeandmadedinnernearbythem.Ieven,thoughIhateto
admitit,worriedthattheymightspreadmushroomsporestootherpartsofmy
apartment.Interestingly,IfoundaparalleltothisfearinthefearsthatCaitlin
Berriganencounteredduringherexhibitionofdandelionspartiallyfertilizedwith
humanblood(HepatitisCpositive).Shedescribesthefearbysaying:“[herexhibit]
producedanxiety…asthevirus–theexogenousotherwithunknownmetamorphic
andbioticpotential–lurkedintheenvironment,”(175).True,itwasafungusand
notavirusthatIkeptinmyapartment,buttheothernesswithbioticpotential
surprisedmeasitmademeanxious.Thisfearandawarenessinspiredinmebythe
mushroomsindicatesafungalagencybothundomesticatedanduncontrolled.Stacy
Alaimo(viaKarenBarad)providesadefinitionofagencythatnotonlyfitsthe
agencyofmushrooms,butonethatprovidesfortheirpositionasacompanion
speciesthatinter-(andintra-)actswithme.“’Agencyisnotanattribute’buta
‘doing/beinginitsintra-activity,’“(248).Giventhisagency,thisundomestication,
andthevalueof“edge”mushrooms,wemustmaintaintheconceptionof
mushroomsasedgespecies,ratherthantossitaway.
Whilethisfungalagencycreatesanewconceptionoftherelationship
betweenthefungiandme,itisimportantnottolosesightofthecontrolthat
humanshaveinenactingDIYprojects.Inconsideringhumancontrol,wecanbegin
toanswerthethirdquestionIposed.Theseprojects,particularlythoseresultingin
ediblematerial,allowhumanstoknowwhatgoesintotheproductoftheirlabor.As
they“doitthemselves,”humanscanattempttocontrolthetoxinsthatmayormay
1ThisinformationfoundthroughtheJapanTimes.
notpoisonorpassthroughtheirproduct.Anyattemptatcontrol,though,maynot
besuccessful,asisparticularlythecaseinradiationandpollution(twoforcesvery
descriptiveofthehumanconditiontoday).Tsingdescribestheeffectsofthemodern
worldbysaying:“Eventhehardylichensaredyingfromairpollutionandacidrain.
Whentheytakeupradioactivityfromnuclearaccidents,theyfeedittothereindeer,
whointurnfeedittohumanherders.Wecanignorethem,orwecanconsiderwhat
theyaretellingusaboutthehumancondition,”(152).Tomakemattersworse,there
isnowayofknowingwhetherornottheseforcescanbefullycontrolled.Hugh
Rafflesdescribesthepurerandomnessofthenuclearradiationhumanshave
broughtintotheworld:“thecontingencyoflandscapesandbodies,theconcrete
aestheticsofchance,andtherandombehaviorofartificialradionuclides.Something
likerandomness,acombinationofcontingencyandchance,isnowananalyticas
wellasanaesthetic,”(37).Thehomemushroomkitsoftodayarenotcontradicting
herclaimthattheyareourcompanionspecies.Instead,theyarechangingalong
withusasTsingsaystheywould,althoughthewaytheyarechangingis
unfortunatelyrathernegative.
Despitethebleakimagethatthesequotationspaintforhumanity,thereis
alsogoodtobeseenintherelationshipbetweenhumansandnature.However,my
relationshipwiththemushroomsisnotasimplecaptureofthenatural.Bybringing
thissmallpieceofdirtandsporesintomyhome,IcouldarguethatIhave
appropriatednatureandbroughtitintothehumansphere.MelissaCaldwell
explainsthattheRussianconceptionofnatureisindeed“anexpansivenotionthat
canbebroughtintourbanspaces,suchaswithatransplantedgoatorcow,aswellas
withcollectionsofpottedplantsandherbsonapartmentbalconiesand
windowsills,”(84).However,thisconceptionofnatureisonethatservestoreify
natureratherthanacknowledgeitsfluidityandagency.Ratherthanpullabitof
natureintomylivingroom,Ihavebecomeapartofnaturetogetherwiththe
mushrooms,asDonnaHarawaywouldhavemeconstitutemyself.Infact,Ihavenot
onlybecomeapartofnature,butconstructeda“nature”withthemushroomsand
otherintra-actorswehaveencounteredtogether.Asaresult,AnnaTsing’s
conceptionofmushroomsasacompanionspeciesisnotonlystillvalidinthetrend
ofDIYgrowth,andapplicableintheconsiderationofpollutionandhuman
destruction,butnecessaryformetoconceiveofmyplaceinnaturetogetherwith
thesemushrooms.Throughmyconsiderationofthisthirdquestion,Ihavebeenable
tothinkabouttheplaceofhumans,oratleastonehuman,in“nature”broadly.
Thecombinationoftheanswerstothesethreequestions(WhatdoDIY
mushroomkitstellusabouthumans?Aretheconceptsofmushroomsontheedges
andmushroomsinlivingroomsmutuallyexclusive?DoDIYkitsmeanthatAnna
Tsing’sthoughtsarenolongerapplicableorhelpful?)createsahuman-nature
relationshipthatisneitherrigidlyseparationist,norreifying.Itseemstemptingto
sayDIYkitsareaperpetuationofpatriarchalandcapitalistsystemsinthemodern
age,butIhaveshowntheyallowustoberebelswithinthesystem.Itwouldbeeasy
toclaimthatthesekitsmeanmushroomsattheedgesarenolongeraconceptwe
canconsider,butIhaveshownthattheedgesarestillpopulatedbymushroomsof
thehighestvalueandthatany“domestication”ofmushroomshasresultedina
reciprocal“domestication”ofhumansthatprovedthefungitobeagenticand
undomesticated.Finally,itmayseemthatthesekitswouldeliminatethevalueAnna
Tsing’sanalysisofmushroomsascompanionspecies,butIhaveshownthather
ideasringtrueandhumanintra-actionwithDIYmushroomshascreatedanature
uniqueandlocal,composedoftheintra-actionsofthesurroundingspecies.Firmin
myknowledgeofmyplaceinthisnature,andsatisfiedwithmyanswerstothese
questions,Iamhappytoattachbelow:picturesofmycompanionsduringthis
thoughtprocess.
SourcesCited:
DonnaHaraway,“WhenSpeciesMeet:Introduction.”inWhenSpeciesMeet.
Minneapolis:UniversityofMinnesotaPress,2008.
AnnaTsing,“UnrulyEdges:MushroomsAsACompanionSpecies”inEnvironmental
HumanitiesVolume1.November2012.
SandorKatz,“LocalandSeasonalFood”inTheRevolutionWillNotBeMicrowaved:
InsideAmerica’sUndergroundFoodMovements.WhiteRiverJunction:ChelseaGreen
Publishing,2006.
SimoneDeBeauvoir.“TheMother,”inTheSecondSex.NewYork:AlfredA.Knopf
Incorporated,1952.
MinoruMatsutani.“Japan’sLongLoveAffairWith‘Matsutake’.”Tokyo:JapanTimes,
2010.Web.http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2010/11/09/news/japans-longlove-affair-with-matsutake/#.VlyQVYRDmp4
CarlaHustakandNatashaMyers.“InvolutionaryMomentum:AffectiveEcologiesand
theSciencesofPlant/InsectEncounters,”inDifferences:AJournalofFeminist
CulturalStudiesVolume23.Durham:DukeUniversityPress,2012.
CaitlinBerrigan.“LifeCycleofaCommonWeed,”inTheMultispeciesSalon.Editedby
EbenKirksey.Durham:DukeUniversityPress,2014.
HughRaffles.“Chernobyl,”inInsectopedia.NewYork:VintageBooks,2010.
MelissaCaldwell,“NaturalFoods”fromDachaIdylls.Oakland:Universityof
CaliforniaPress,2011.