Phytopoesis

The ontological turn within anthropology postulates that there is a multiplicity of worlds and that taking Indigenous worlds, realities and thought seriously enriches Western philosophy and culture. Taking a cue from the ontological turn, I argue in this article that Amazonian Indigenous and non-Indigenous literature offers readers an entry-point into worlds where more than human beings take center-stage. I analyze the phtytopoesis, or the poetry on/with plants, by two Amazonian women authors from different countries and generations—Brazilian Astrid Cabral (1936-), and Peruvian Dina Ananco (1985-)—to show the centrality of vegetal life in Amazonia. I contend that these poets reflect upon traditional, communal ties to plants and resignify them to bolster women’s empowerment

Amazon rainforest · Amazonian · Centrality · Indigenous · Poetry · Amazonian Archaeology and Ethnohistory · Ecocriticism and Environmental Literature · Environmental and Cultural Studies in Latin America and Beyond