Cultivating A Nation: how biodiversity shapes countries

A panel with Alice Wolff, Diego Molina and Hilal Alkan, chaired by Molly Rose Bond. What stories do cultivation and land use tell us about the places where we live? From biodiversity loss in the medieval period to contemporary commodification of the global trade in trees, the routes and roots of plant species offer new ways of thinking about nationhood. The panel will also examine innovations in archaeobotany, multispecies ethnography and plant humanities, to uncover the hidden histories of everyday flora around the world.

This event is part of the Making A Nation series for 2025-26: https://www.iash.ed.ac.uk/news/making-nation-series-2026

This is a free event, which means we overbook to allow for no-shows and to avoid empty seats. While we generally do not have to turn people away, this does mean we cannot guarantee everyone a place. Admission is on a first come, first served basis.

Accessibility:

This event will take place at IASH, 2 Hope Park Square, Edinburgh, EH8 9NW. Please see a map here: https://www.iash.ed.ac.uk/location

The Seminar Room is on the first floor, and unfortunately IASH does not have a lift. If you have mobility issues and would like to discuss access, please contact [email protected] as soon as possible.

The event will also be streamed online via Teams Webinar. To attend virtually, please click here.

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Host or Publisher Institute for Advanced Studies in the Humanities