Edge Effects

An arial view featuring forests, rows of crops, two ponds, and a few roads winding through the landscape.

Translation, Agroforestry, and the Language of Plants

At first glance, language and restorative agriculture may seem unrelated. But by combining expertise in translation studies and agroforestry, Lia A. Miranda de Lima and Lucas Sigefredo uncover ways of thinking about the language of plants …

Thinking with Maíz: A Conversation with Vick Quezada and Jeffrey Ross-Ibarra

Artist Vick Quezada and evolutionary biologist Jeffrey Ross-Ibarra both center maíz in their work despite their very different approaches. Together with M. Hamilton, these scholars explore the co-evolution of humans and maiz (corn) through the lenses of cultural history, art and performance, science, and language …

A close up of the front of a large ship anchored to shore. The ship is covered in rust, dents, and scratches. Another ship sits to the left and right.

The Colonial Costs of Shipbreaking

The shipbreaking industry in Bangladesh is often hailed as an economic success story. Md. Borhan Uddin and Kimberley Thomas explain why this industry is, in fact, an extension of colonial logics …

A man holds a microphone in his hand, performing. He wears a shirt that reads "Burning Spear On The Beach," and the background is smoky and green.

Reggae’s Agrarian Resistance

The plantation histories and logics carried through roots reggae music inspired Carmen Andall‑Woodroofe to pursue a Ph.D. In this essay, she centers that music to examine plantation futures—and the ways reggae resists them …

Mexican farmworkers harvesting cauliflower

El Contrato Químico

Micaela Edelson revela los costos para la salud—a menudo ocultos—que conlleva la exposición a pesticidas para los trabajadores agrícolas migrantes en Estados Unidos …

Tendrils from a grape vine wrap around a green plant stem.

The Worlding Work of Plants: A Conversation with Michael Marder

M. Hamilton and Ellie Kincaid talk plants with Michael Marder. Their conversation invites readers to consider plants as active participants in thought and world‑making …

A plant in front of a body of water. Rays of light extend from the top of the image, and the sides are blurred.

Learning from Japanese Knotweed in Brussels’s Feral Wetlands

In the abandoned, deindustrialized interstices of Brussels, feral wetlands flourish. Drawing on conversations with residents, Louise Bazelaire explores the history and politics of these liminal spaces through a plant that is loved and hated in equal measure: Japanese knotweed …

The Tenth Century Equivalent of 🍑 🍆? 🥬.

When Tiffany VanWinkoop looked through letters between Constantine VII and his friend, she was surprised to read erotic requests for and descriptions of lettuce. Might lettuce be a tenth century equivalent of the contemporary eggplant and peach emoji? …

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