Human-wolf-relations in the alpine cultural landscape. Transactions, intraactions and resonances: a more-than-human geography of entanglement

• Applicant: Verena Schröder
• Subject Area: Human Geography
• Term: since 2024
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 539086673

Wolves return to the cultural landscape and they trigger dynamic changes in the affected regions. The public is interested in the returning animals, but the emotional debates usually remain an anthropocentric perspective, in which the views and the living environments of the wolves are ignored and the relations between humans and wolves are alienated. The present dissertation (graduation with the highest grade summa cum laude) follows a non-dualistic view and uses corporeality – the experienced and sensed dimension – as an entangled element between living beings. In order to do this, the study is embedded in the theoretical framework of classical pragmatism of John Dewey, agential realism of Karen Barad, and resonance theory of Hartmut Rosa. Based on an empirical study of the Swiss Calanda, an alpine area where a wolf pack has been located since 2012, new insights are generated. The results concern the corporeal entanglement and communication between humans and wolves, the connection be tween world relations and wolf acceptance as well as the configuration of boundaries in the wolf debate. By focusing on corporeal and visceral elements, the human-wolf-conflict can be seen in a new way. At the same time, the manuscript offers new insights into the empirical research of more-than-human relationships with newly developed methods such as animal-centred storytelling or empathic-multisensory walks and observation. Furthermore, it shows new ways to present more-than-linguistic findings through the creation of a scientific comic. Since the project closes gaps in conceptual and method(olog)ical as well as in scientific-communicative knowledge and offers new and non-dualistic perspectives on human-animal relations (and will thus be of interest to a broad readership), I’d like to publish open access. From this kind of publication I expect more visibility as well as an extension of the very one-sided wolf discourse. Other than that, I envisage a broader reception of a more-than-human geography of entanglement, which was developed in the dissertation. Finally, the study proposes a coexistence of wild animals and humans based on interwovenness, recognizing important re sources in the indeterminacy and unavailability of wolves, to experience vitality and self-efficacy.

• DFG Programme: Publication Grants