CIMS PG Reading Group Special Session
This special session, co-hosted by the CIMS PG Reading Group and the Gardening Reading Group, (https://gardening.wp.st-andrews.ac.uk), blossomed into an hour-long journey of discovery and exchange. Held on the 9th of May at 3:00 PM in the Boswell Room of the Old Union Building, the gathering became a vibrant hub for insightful discussions on transcultural gardening.
We commenced by immersing ourselves in the poetic world of L. Kiew’s More Than Weeds, setting the stage for an exploration of gardening as a migrant cultural practice. Drawing from personal experience and the verdant landscapes of St Andrews Botanic Garden, participants shared their narratives, enriching our collective understanding of gardening’s role within cultural identity, based on the reading of ‘Misplaced Plants: Migrant Gardens and Transculturation’ by Ilaria Vanni.
A highlight of the session was the exploration of eco-translation, unravelling the intricate web of language, culture, and ecological consciousness. This discussion illuminated how language shapes our perception of environmental concepts across cultural boundaries. As the session came to a close, attendees departed with newfound perspectives and a deeper appreciation for the transcultural dimensions of gardening as a contact zone for migrant identity.
Reading List:
- Vanni, Ilaria. ‘Misplaced Plants: Migrant Gardens and Transculturation.’ In Transcultural Italies: Mobility, Memory and Translation, edited by Charles Burdett, Loredana Polezzi and Barbara Spadaro, 253-274. Liverpool: Liverpool University Press, 2020.
- Two poems from L.(Lisa) Kiew, More Than Weeds.