From soil to cosmos
A phytoethnography of symbiotic species in Tibetan pastoral worlds
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 17801601 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Bo Yang (0000-0001-5834-6002, University College London, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2026 |
| Pages | 1-4 |
| Publication date | 2026-04-17 |
| Open Access | No |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Asian Anthropology (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 1683-478X • E-ISSN: 2168-4227 |
| Publisher | Taylor & Francis (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1080/1683478x.2026.2652711 |
| OpenAlex | W7154694555 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 7 |
This dissertation examines the multispecies social life of caterpillar fungus (Ophiocordyceps sinensis) in Kham Tibet through the conceptual lens of plant-hood and the methodological approach of phytoethnography. Based on 18 months of ethnographic fieldwork, it explores how Tibetan pastoralists engage with the fungus as both an ecological being and a cosmological presence embedded in ritual, livelihood, and landscape. Rather than treating it as a raw resource, the study conceptualizes caterpillar fungus as a cosmopolitical mediator within more-than-human worlds. It argues that plant-hood emerges through interactions among humans, animals, fungi, and deities, shaping ecological knowledge and pastoral life. By foregrounding vegetal agency, the dissertation contributes to multispecies anthropology, ethnobotany, and sacred ecology in contemporary Tibet.
Biodiversity · Ecological succession · New guinea · Rainforest · Symbiosis · Environmental and Cultural Studies in Latin America and Beyond · Ethnobotanical and Medicinal Plants Studies · Rangeland Management and Livestock Ecology
Integrating Ontology into Ethnobotanical Research
Identifying Plants as a Process of Cultural Cognition
Yartsa Gunbu (Cordyceps sinensis) and the Fungal Commodification of Tibet’s Rural Economy
They Are Properties of the Deity, Not Sentient
The virtues of cosmopolitics
Magic darts and messenger molecules
| Highly cited | No |
|---|