![Communication ETDs](../../assets/md5images/23e0a1dc5b8031134c435483090abd3b.png)
Communication ETDs
Publication Date
Spring 5-13-2019
Abstract
This study uses oral history and auto-ethnography to collect thematic data on relationships and communication between plants and people in New Mexico, USA. Western and industrial cultures tend to be plant-blind, which is extremely dangerous in the wake of climate disruption and associated loss of plant biodiversity. This study works to collect and produce a generative landscape of narratives of non-binary relationships between humans and plants. These narratives show a range of hopeful, relational connections between human and more-than-human worlds. Overall results indicated the existence of many positive relationships between plants and people in the Western world, and that these relationships develop through human-human communication, plant-human communication, place-making, and relation-making practices. Furthermore, results showed clearly how relationships between humans and plants are wrapped up in history, sense-of-place, family, and identity, positioning studies about plants and humans as an extremely potent and important subject for ecocultural studies.
Keywords
Plant communication, multi-species relationships, binaries, more-than-human communication, oral history, auto-ethnography, New Mexico
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Communication
Level of Degree
Doctoral
Department Name
Department of Communication and Journalism
First Committee Member (Chair)
David Weiss
Second Committee Member
Tema Milstein
Third Committee Member
Miguel Gandert
Fourth Committee Member
Chris Duvall
Fifth Committee Member
Jaelyn Demaria
Recommended Citation
Thomas, Mariko Oyama. "A Cartography of Roots: An Exploration of plant communication, place, and story." (2019). https://digitalrepository.unm.edu/cj_etds/126