Anna Lowenhaupt Tsing

The Mushroom at the End of the World: On the Possibility of Life in Capitalist Ruins -- Anna Lowenhaupt Tsing, Paperback

$18.95 $13.99 Sale
Shipping calculated at checkout.
372 in stock, ready to ship

What a rare mushroom can teach us about sustaining life on a fragile planet

Matsutake is the most valuable mushroom in the world--and a weed that grows in human-disturbed forests across the northern hemisphere. Through its ability to nurture trees, matsutake helps forests to grow in daunting places. It is also an edible delicacy in Japan, where it sometimes commands astronomical prices. In all its contradictions, matsutake offers insights into areas far beyond just mushrooms and addresses a crucial question: what manages to live in the ruins we have made?

A tale of diversity within our damaged landscapes, The Mushroom at the End of the World follows one of the strangest commodity chains of our times to explore the unexpected corners of capitalism. Here, we witness the varied and peculiar worlds of matsutake commerce: the worlds of Japanese gourmets, capitalist traders, Hmong jungle fighters, industrial forests, Yi Chinese goat herders, Finnish nature guides, and more. These companions also lead us into fungal ecologies and forest histories to better understand the promise of cohabitation in a time of massive human destruction.

By investigating one of the world's most sought-after fungi, The Mushroom at the End of the World presents an original examination into the relation between capitalist destruction and collaborative survival within multispecies landscapes, the prerequisite for continuing life on earth.

Author: Anna Lowenhaupt Tsing
Publisher: Princeton University Press
Published: 06/08/2021
Pages: 352
Binding Type: Paperback
Weight: 0.70lbs
Size: 8.00h x 5.30w x 1.10d
ISBN: 9780691220550

About the Author
Anna Lowenhaupt Tsing is professor of anthropology at the University of California, Santa Cruz.

Product Tags:

Agriculture & Food (see also Political Science, Anna Lowenhaupt Tsing, Anthropology, Business & Economics, Business / Economics / Finance, Cultural & Social, Environmental Economics, Human ecology, Paperback, Princeton University Press, Public Policy, Social Science

Find your next favorite

Welcome to Book & Mortar

Explore our extensive collection of contemporary and classic books. From the latest bestsellers to hidden gems, we have something for every book lover. Dive into the world of literature with our curated selection, and let your reading adventure begin.

Contact form

Fill this out if you need to get in touch with me!