Attunement in human-insect stories and the role of art in challenging anthropocentrism

Abstract

This thesis study joins the discussion of challenging the story of modernity, where an imagined division between humans and nature is at the core of our unsustainable systems. I set the concept of attunement at the front as I examine alternative ways of humans relating with non-human actors. In this study, I analyze empathy-based stories that urge the participants to describe different imagined situations of humans encountering insects from daily situations to the ways we could organize our multispecies societies in future scenarios. I collected my data as part of a multidisciplinary research group in the Fellow Feelings project at the University of Oulu. Further, I explore the role of art in how humans locate themselves within nature, asking how artistic learning methods could help us to seek reconnection with the natural world.

One of the topics that emerged from the literature and that I incorporated to follow my analysis was the notion of temporalities. This study suggests that storytelling can serve as a tool for widening our limited human understandings of time and our influence on Earth. In addition, the rich data demonstrates that activities where we allow ourselves to question and rethink our relationship with non-human actors can provoke creative and practical solutions for better considering different species in our decision-making. Throughout the study, I examine how to combine cognitive and affective dimensions with collective action in our responses to ecological crises. The data and literature show that artistic learning methods can assist in addressing emotions related to human-nature relationships and provoke feelings of hope and collective action.