MATIN TransitionS Seminar - Sanna Komi

Managing and Assessing Transition Innovation Network

Thursday, November 9, 2023
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LEST, Salle Côté Jardin

On the 9th of November 2023, 13h30-15h00 CET, we will have the pleasure to open our new seminar season with a presentation by Sanna Komi (University of Helsinki), on Wolf conservation, political ecology and multi-species justice

Sanna Komi is a PhD researcher and musician exploring wildlife conservation's political ecology. Her research centres on wolf conservation in Finland, examining it through the lenses of historical and changing political economic contexts, human responsibility in relation to nonhuman perspectives, and the emergence of the so-called post-truth era. Her wider aim is to critically analyse wildlife conservation challenges and their implications for human-non-human-nature relationships. She is also working on her third solo album as artist KO:MI, where she combines field recordings, pop melodies and contemporary classical compositions to express her research's emotional dimensions.

Twitter: @SannaKomi 

Spotify:https://open.spotify.com/artist/0UjtiwAIQXyBw6OlNRZsJV?si=zNhNrELQR_qgOVos-7jMcQ

 

Bad Wolves? Political Ecology of Responsibility and More-Than-Human Perspectives in Human–Wildlife Interactions

Sanna Komi, Global Development Studies, University of Helsinki, PL18, 00014 University of Helsinki. Email: sanna.komi@helsinki.fi. Presenter.

Anja Nygren, Global Development Studies, University of Helsinki, PL18, 00014 University of Helsinki. Email: anja.nygren@helsinki.fi 

Abstract

Given the widespread failure of anthropocentric approaches to wildlife conservation, questions of conviviality have become increasingly important for conservation efforts. We propose that political-ecological conceptualizations of other-than-human perspectives offer promising avenues for fostering more just and sustainable human-wildlife interactions. To explore these issues, we investigate wolf conservation in northeastern Finland, focusing on the contested coexistence of humans and wolves. Our study draws on data obtained through interviews and participant observation with local residents, interviews with wolf behavior researchers, and analysis of policy documents. Our findings highlight the fundamental roles of power and responsibility in human-wildlife coexistence, as well as the importance of attending to wolves' intrinsic patterns of behavior. We argue that it is essential to distinguish between human agency and other-than-human actions, as attributing intentional agency to wolves can obscure important aspects of human responsibility, political decision-making, and power dynamics at the intersections of humans and other-than-humans.

Keywords: agency, anthropocentrism, convivial conservation, other-than-human perspectives, political ecology, responsibility, wildlife, wolf

 

Registration here: https://forms.gle/Wc8jRGD49nJWjttMA

 

On the 9th of November 2023, 13h30-15h00 CET, we will have the pleasure to open our new seminar season with a presentation by Sanna Komi (University of Helsinki), on Wolf conservation, political ecology and multi-species justice

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