Looking for more-than-human socialities. The role of anthropologist studing social forestry in Poland

Abstract

In this article I want to show a changing perspective on my role as an anthropologist in the field connected with social forestry in Poland. From doing research on the democratic environmental project called The Model Forest — where my role was limited to the evaluation of project activities — I move to the group of forest activists in Poznań and get engaged in its running. I become an anthropologist working with the people and interacting with them in a more-than-human society. We create stories based on relationships other than utility — trying to be attentive to forest socialites. In my view, this is the role of the modern anthropologist — staying with and imagining better worlds together.

Keywords

• forest menagement
• activists movement
• environment
• more-than-human sociality
• engaged research