Thinking with Plants & Fungi Initiative
Programming for The Thinking with Plants and Fungi Initiative concluded in May 2025. An edited volume will be published in May 2026. Please check the CSWR Publications page for updates.
An interdisciplinary exploration into how plants and fungi help us rethink the nature of mind and matter and humans’ relationship to the more-than-human world.
About
“Thinking with Plants and Fungi” initiative explored how inquiry into plant and fungal life illuminates the nature of mind and matter, and humans’ relationship to the more-than-human world. We engage fundamental questions from academic scholarship and traditional wisdom, including: what is intelligence, where does it extend, and how? What is matter, and what does it mean to label it animate or inanimate? How can we broaden practices of care to include other forms of life? How does the study of plants enrich or complicate our understanding of humans’ place relative to other beings?
The imitative sought to enhance interdisciplinary cooperation between biology, ecology, and the humanities, nurturing current and future leaders in plant studies. Through scholarship and public outreach, we aimed to demonstrate how nature's intelligence can inspire new models of cooperation, flourishing, and coexistence amid ongoing crises.
Our offerings
Conference
In May 2025, the CSWR hosted a three-day conference that convened scholars from across the sciences, humanities, and social sciences with artists, culture keepers, activists, and practitioners to explore questions central to the Thinking with Plants and Fungi Initiative.
Watch the conference proceedings and learn more.
Reflections and Interviews
The initiative published a series of scholarly and creative essays from authors across a range of disciplinary backgrounds and career stages, as well as reflections from practitioners and artists.
Read all reflections on the Thinking with Plants and Fungi blog.
Previous Events
The initiative hosted several guest speakers as well as student field trips, including a trip to British Columbia together with partner Awi'nakola Foundation.
Visit our previous events page to watch recordings of past events and learn more.
Reading Group
The initiative convened a reading group from 2022-2025 exploring themes in science, religion, philosophy, and Indigenous ways of knowing.
We have made our syllabus available for other groups interested in designing curricula on these themes.
Edited Volume
In May 2026, the CSWR will publish an edited volume, titled “Thinking with Plants and Fungi. Please check the CSWR Publications page for updates.
People
Rachael Petersen served as Program Lead for the Thinking with Plants and Fungi Initiative, and co-led the Reading Group for 2022-2024. Read more about Rachael Petersen.
Russell Powell served as served as Research and Program Specialist for the Thinking with Plants and Fungi Initiative. Learn more about Russell Powell.
Natalia Schwien Scott served as Advisor and Program Associate for the Thinking with Plants and Fungi Initiative and led the Reading Group from 2024-2025. She co-led the Reading Group from 2022-2023. Learn more about Natalia Schwien Scott.
Elitza Koeva was a Postdoctoral Fellow with the Thinking with Plants and Fungi Initiative. Learn more about Elitza Koeva.