Plant Kin

A well-crafted, thoroughly researched account that speaks to a wide set of topics linked to global climate change. In the Canela, Miller sees an example of 'the work of caring for multispecies kin' that both fleshes out earlier theorizing and anticipates a fulsome recognition of biosocial engagements as constitutive of culture, in the broadest sense. By focusing on the 'sensory ethnobotany' practiced by the Canela, and letting this lifeway and worldview permeate her account, she develops a distinctive ethnographic approach that should have the book circulating in classrooms and seminars where ethnographic methods and theories are evaluated and inculcated. ~John Hartigan, University of Texas, author of Care of the Species: Races of Corn and the Science of Plant Biodiversity

A fascinating study that breaks new ground in the study of non-Western relations between plants and people. Miller’s extensive field research and the indigenous narratives she presents offer an unparalleled view of women’s relations with plants, and she shows the implications of a uniquely Canela conception of kinship that is not limited to humanity. This is powerful material, well researched and well supported. The writing is superb. A brilliant book that deserves to be widely read. ~Beth Conklin, Vanderbilt University, author of Consuming Grief: Compassionate Cannibalism in an Amazonian Society

Fascinating...Plant Kin offers a glimmer of hope in the Anthropocene of the possibilities of alternative and sustainable engagements with plants and their ecologies. ~CHOICE

Theresa Miller presents a thoughtful portrayal of shifting ideas about the human place both in the world and in relation to plants in our era of changing climate...Each chapter on its own could be read as a unique contribution; taken collectively, they convey what she calls a sensory ethnobotany perspective that is interdisciplinary in scope...Plant Kin pays careful attention to what Canela indigenous people say and do in order to survive in a changing world that has long seen both the people and their places as sacrifice zones to be scoured for resources to feed global wealth. ~American Ethnologist

[Plant Kin] contributes a thorough investigation of traditional ecological knowledge in a specific community and provides an in-depth example of the sociocultural processes that promote agrobiodiversity maintenance among a particular group and key group members. As such, it is a great resource for students of ethnobotany and related fields interested in relationships between cultural and biological diversity. ~Economic Botany

Plant Kin is a rigorously researched and carefully construed multispecies ethnography that focuses on the Indigenous Canela of the Brazilian Cerrado or savanna environment...Overall, the book is well-written and well-paced. The use of qualitative ethnographic material and testimonies from interlocutors interspersed with the author’s own prose make for a lively and captivating read. ~Journal of Latin American Geography

[Plant Kin's] introduction, five chapters, and short conclusion are rich with ethnographic examples, highlighting resilience, multisensory care and multispecies relationships...In Plant Kin, Miller provides a well-written ethnography...it would interest students and scholars in anthropology, ethnobotany, environmental studies, Indigenous studies, and Latin American studies. ~Environment and Society