The Mushroom at the End of the World: On the Possibility of Life in Capitalist Ruins
- Downloads：4014
- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2021-11-02 06:51:14
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Anna Lowenhaupt Tsing
- ISBN：0691220557
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
- Download
Summary
What a rare mushroom can teach us about sustaining life on a fragile planet
Matsutake is the most valuable mushroom in the world--and a weed that grows in human-disturbed forests across the Northern Hemisphere。 Anna Lowenhaupt Tsing's account of these sought-after fungi offers insights into areas far beyond just mushrooms and addresses a crucial question: What manages to live in the ruins we have made？ The Mushroom at the End of the World explores the unexpected corners of matsutake commerce， where we encounter Japanese gourmets， capitalist traders， Hmong jungle fighters， Finnish nature guides， and more。 These companions lead us into fungal ecologies and forest histories to better understand the promise of cohabitation in a time of massive human devastation。 The Mushroom at the End of the World delves into the relationship between capitalist destruction and collaborative survival within multispecies landscapes， the prerequisite for continuing life on earth。
Matsutake is the most valuable mushroom in the world--and a weed that grows in human-disturbed forests across the Northern Hemisphere。 Anna Lowenhaupt Tsing's account of these sought-after fungi offers insights into areas far beyond just mushrooms and addresses a crucial question: What manages to live in the ruins we have made？ The Mushroom at the End of the World explores the unexpected corners of matsutake commerce， where we encounter Japanese gourmets， capitalist traders， Hmong jungle fighters， Finnish nature guides， and more。 These companions lead us into fungal ecologies and forest histories to better understand the promise of cohabitation in a time of massive human devastation。 The Mushroom at the End of the World delves into the relationship between capitalist destruction and collaborative survival within multispecies landscapes， the prerequisite for continuing life on earth。
Reviews
Erika Abdelatif
，
I had to give up listening to this audiobook because I couldn’t handle the narrators voice
Lucy
，
A delightful book that meanders through many topics and areas。 Theoretically rich discussions around precarity， scale， salvage capitalism and translation， ruins， ecology， multispecies relations， science studies， different kinds of Asian American experiences
Florian
，
Une balade dans l'univers du Tricholoma matsutake， un champignon qui ne pousse que dans des forêts ruinées par les humains。 C'est l'occasion de réfléchir au capitalisme "comme si chacun cherchait à tirer avantage de la fin du monde pour devenir riche avant que la destruction n'ait tout emporté。" Mais bien loin d'un discours angoissant de plus， on apprend plutôt comment "reconfigurer notre compréhension de la survie en tant que projet collaboratif。" Bref， même si le niveau de ce livre m'a rendu s Une balade dans l'univers du Tricholoma matsutake， un champignon qui ne pousse que dans des forêts ruinées par les humains。 C'est l'occasion de réfléchir au capitalisme "comme si chacun cherchait à tirer avantage de la fin du monde pour devenir riche avant que la destruction n'ait tout emporté。" Mais bien loin d'un discours angoissant de plus， on apprend plutôt comment "reconfigurer notre compréhension de la survie en tant que projet collaboratif。" Bref， même si le niveau de ce livre m'a rendu sa lecture difficile， j'y ai trouvé des réflexions profondes sur le capitalisme， en même temps qu'une incursion bienvenue dans l'univers de ce champignon。 。。。more
Zoë Siobhan
，
3。5 Interesting anthropology where the thing is followed， not so much the people。 At times this felt almost too sprawling and unfocused but actually it was pretty cool how the author wove all these different themes together around the central theme （matsutake mushrooms） which themselves are sprawling， decentralised and ungovernable。 I learned a lot about Japan， about migrant Asian communities in the states， about different ways of neglecting and managing a forest。 I was starving hungry for mushr 3。5 Interesting anthropology where the thing is followed， not so much the people。 At times this felt almost too sprawling and unfocused but actually it was pretty cool how the author wove all these different themes together around the central theme （matsutake mushrooms） which themselves are sprawling， decentralised and ungovernable。 I learned a lot about Japan， about migrant Asian communities in the states， about different ways of neglecting and managing a forest。 I was starving hungry for mushroom-based food whenever I read the book。 However。 However。 Building so much of the theory around "capitalist ruins" and "salvage capitalism" did pique my interest， but it did not actually deliver for me。 Maybe I am the orthodox Marxist she's trying to skewer， but I found most of the discussion around labour and commodity really unconvincing。 I feel like if she had spoken to the Latinx pickers then this romanticised idea of "non-labour" may not have held up to scrutiny。 Also， I don't think that the buying and selling of a foraged product is as unique as she's making it out to be - is this not what fishermen around the world do all the time？ Just because something is precarious and deregulated and unwaged doesn't mean it's not capitalism。 。。。more
Danielle
，
It's a great， thoughtful book- for that， it gets 4 stars。 But for enjoyment， it gets 2-3 stars- not the book's fault， it was just way beyond my own comprehension lol。 It's a great， thoughtful book- for that， it gets 4 stars。 But for enjoyment， it gets 2-3 stars- not the book's fault， it was just way beyond my own comprehension lol。 。。。more
Kurt
，
Tsing writes， "Latent commons cannot redeem us。 Some radical thinkers hope that progress will lead us to a redemptive and utopian commons。 In contrast， the latent commons is here and now， amidst the trouble。 And humans are never fully in control" （255）。 So we have to wake up and smell the mushrooms。 In her book， Tsing calls us to attention， to practice what she calls "arts of noticing，" similar in some ways to José Esteban Muñoz's cruising utopia。 We look for glimpses in the past and present to Tsing writes， "Latent commons cannot redeem us。 Some radical thinkers hope that progress will lead us to a redemptive and utopian commons。 In contrast， the latent commons is here and now， amidst the trouble。 And humans are never fully in control" （255）。 So we have to wake up and smell the mushrooms。 In her book， Tsing calls us to attention， to practice what she calls "arts of noticing，" similar in some ways to José Esteban Muñoz's cruising utopia。 We look for glimpses in the past and present to help us live otherwise。 But the glimpses don't just come from looking: "Getting by without progress requires a good deal of feeling around with our hands" （278）。 We have to be creative in these capitalist ruins。 Tsing concludes her beautiful， brilliant book with Ursula Le Guin， how fitting， but I loved one of her anti-endings， too:"Without stories of progress， the world has become a terrifying place。 The ruin glares at us with the horror of its abandonment。 It's not easy to know how to make a life， much less avert planetary destruction。 Luckily there is still company， human and not human。 We can still explore the overgrown verges of our blasted landscapes—the edges of capitalist discipline， scalability， and abandoned resource plantations。 We can still catch the scent of the latent commons—and the elusive autumn aroma" （282）。 。。。more
Harrison
，
This book is hard to summarize， but that's part of what makes it so stimulating。 It weaves together stories about people， mushrooms， and all the life in between to ask deep entangled questions that affect us all。 Most prominent is--How has capitalism changed （ruined） the world， and whose life （human， mushroom， or other） is it improving？ The answer is between the lines of this richly sourced non-fiction， non-human-centric story。 This book is hard to summarize， but that's part of what makes it so stimulating。 It weaves together stories about people， mushrooms， and all the life in between to ask deep entangled questions that affect us all。 Most prominent is--How has capitalism changed （ruined） the world， and whose life （human， mushroom， or other） is it improving？ The answer is between the lines of this richly sourced non-fiction， non-human-centric story。 。。。more
Jenina Yutuc
，
2。5A hype read and I was into it for the first few chapters ngl。。。 esp。 when she was explaining polyphonic assemblages and the metaphors of mycorrhizal fungi networks。 It's these prose-like sentences that almost got me and then I was reading sentences about the matsutake mushroom being a capitalist commodity that begins and *ends* as a simple gift。。。。。 ？！？！This niche study on the matsutake mushrooms， and matsutake supply chain lacks the fundamental analysis of political economy and the larger st 2。5A hype read and I was into it for the first few chapters ngl。。。 esp。 when she was explaining polyphonic assemblages and the metaphors of mycorrhizal fungi networks。 It's these prose-like sentences that almost got me and then I was reading sentences about the matsutake mushroom being a capitalist commodity that begins and *ends* as a simple gift。。。。。 ？！？！This niche study on the matsutake mushrooms， and matsutake supply chain lacks the fundamental analysis of political economy and the larger structural fabric of racism， colonialism， and racialized capitalism manifested globally and locally， and which structures and individuals maintain these supply chains through the land， bodies for labor， and technologies。Tsing clearly writes elegantly。 I previously wrote that she can make magic with her sentences， which would make the reading experience through this eloquent language totally okay IF her aim wasn't trying to undertake an interdisciplinary exploration of capitalist destruction — with a premise that aims to reckon with collaborative survival amid capitalist ruins across human and non-human species。 In a review of the book by The New Republic， Jedediah Britton-Purdy writes that vulnerability is also a political project。 Economic and violent vulnerability arises among marginalized communities through structures that allow capitalist exploitation to be institutionalized。 Tsing dances through this very fine line in the romanticization of precarity as a catalyst for innovation （sounds like a lot of tech br0$ who subscribe to the 'moving fast and breaking things' philosophy）。 Precarity creates conditions for marginalized communities to be perpetually 'resilient'。 For example， Black and Brown communities in the United States （esp。 Black men） are in persistent traumatic stress environments where they are constantly policed， surveilled， and profiled。At the end， Tsing writes about how the act of gathering/foraging （mushrooms in this case） leads to more stories， adventures， and treasures， which portrays the act of collecting and gathering as a purely rosy and politically neutral activity rather than giving light to the severe historical power asymmetries of collecting as a private and public colonial enterprise of stolen artifacts across the colonies （example: British Museum） that is built on racialized capitalism to forward the 'project of empire'。 I felt iffy when she gave parts of Ursula K。Le Guin's 'The Carrier Bag Theory of Fiction' the 'final word' （a piece that directly mentions the museum as one of the places you can put what you collected lol） when the research aims to encourage collaborative survival amid 'pericapitalism'。 Alice Procter's 'The Whole Picture' provides insight into the historical and racialized processes and conditions that allowed the pillaging of these objects， artifacts， and human remains to take place， and how these processes continue to impact communities today when these institutions refuse to return what has been stolen and gatekept for many generations。 I recommend reading Procter's book instead。 。。。more
Jan D
，
I was a bit afraid of reading this， as I read a publication of the author which was as interesting as it was difficult to read。 I am happy that the book is rather easy to read。 Hard to say what it “is about” – some topics that come to mind are how people and non-people interact and that it is not a solution to say: there are humans and there is nature – both are enmeshed and from human acting can come rich ecosystems， too。 It also feels very post Anctor-Network-Theory， since the topic of human a I was a bit afraid of reading this， as I read a publication of the author which was as interesting as it was difficult to read。 I am happy that the book is rather easy to read。 Hard to say what it “is about” – some topics that come to mind are how people and non-people interact and that it is not a solution to say: there are humans and there is nature – both are enmeshed and from human acting can come rich ecosystems， too。 It also feels very post Anctor-Network-Theory， since the topic of human and non-human acting is there， but the focus is on trees， fungi， animals rather than on machines， inscriptions and symbolic conversions。The descriptions of smells and different ways to find the mushrooms are great， I can imagine myself in the narration。 。。。more
Kirby
，
fucking bonkers！ a kinda difficult read， but the most innovative understanding of capitalism and its alternatives that i have read until now。 really cool！！ read for school
Navya
，
This books is at the intersection of many fields - nature conservation， supply chain and economics， anthropology， history of science - and that is a very good thing because the author manages to say something insightful about all of them。 And entirely by following the entire supply chain of one artifact: the matsutake mushroom。 This book was a pleasant surprise for me。 I thought I was about to learn a lot about one （1） mushroom （which， to be fair， I did）， but instead the most revelatory fact was This books is at the intersection of many fields - nature conservation， supply chain and economics， anthropology， history of science - and that is a very good thing because the author manages to say something insightful about all of them。 And entirely by following the entire supply chain of one artifact: the matsutake mushroom。 This book was a pleasant surprise for me。 I thought I was about to learn a lot about one （1） mushroom （which， to be fair， I did）， but instead the most revelatory fact was how many strands this singular object touches。 Perhaps everything is like that。 Perhaps that is the whole point of this book。 Where the book suffers， it is usually because it is an academic piece of writing with the typical features of the genre。 Interesting facts are often shoe-horned into a singular thesis and there is a zeal to Advance the Theory and invent new concepts。 As a casual reader， that didn't do much for me。 Fortunately， it did not take away much from the experience either。 。。。more
Sohel Sarkar
，
I chanced upon this book while writing a story on endangered mushrooms。 I finally chose not to allude to this book in my story but it opened up a whole new way of thinking about mushrooms， sustainability， living with and in precarity， capitalism， alienation， and collaborative living。 Would definitely recommend this book for its ethnographic parts， where the author carries the reader along so beautifully。 But I sense a slip between using that ethnographic learning to answer the questions raised b I chanced upon this book while writing a story on endangered mushrooms。 I finally chose not to allude to this book in my story but it opened up a whole new way of thinking about mushrooms， sustainability， living with and in precarity， capitalism， alienation， and collaborative living。 Would definitely recommend this book for its ethnographic parts， where the author carries the reader along so beautifully。 But I sense a slip between using that ethnographic learning to answer the questions raised by the second half of the book's title。 This is not to say， of course， that there must be a prescriptive answer but to say that Tsing's deliberately 'patchy' storytelling can sometimes leave the reader behind。。。 。。。more
Jack
，
I haven't finished this book yet and I still feel compelled to start reviewing it because I cannot recommend it effusively enough。 I'm not certain this is the best or most important book I've ever read， but I think it might be my personal favorite。 This book has gone a long way towards healing my climate anxiety。First off， I think this book is a good place to start for anyone interested in how capitalism works， how it shapes the environment， and to anthropology in general。 The anti-anthropocentr I haven't finished this book yet and I still feel compelled to start reviewing it because I cannot recommend it effusively enough。 I'm not certain this is the best or most important book I've ever read， but I think it might be my personal favorite。 This book has gone a long way towards healing my climate anxiety。First off， I think this book is a good place to start for anyone interested in how capitalism works， how it shapes the environment， and to anthropology in general。 The anti-anthropocentric， materialist， Deleuzean approach to interrelation serves as excellent first exposure to new materialist metaphysics。 Tsing's refusal to center human stories above those of other non-human factors is commendable。 Mushroom maintains a thorough and scientific orientation while still leveling an attack at the way that the hard sciences are privileged above the social sciences。 Mushroom examines the intersection of ecology and economics in a way that is sophisticated and rigorously grounded in historical analysis。 I think that Chapter 8 in particular does a fantastic job of illustrating how Japan's unique experience of industrialization shaped and defined Post-Fordist capitalism， how Toyotafication became the norm around the world， and how a focus on supply chains illuminates capitalist relations and exposes potential breaks in the system。While I don't think Tsing's concept of salvage accumulation does enough to differentiate itself from Marx's primitive accumulation， I think that the concept of salvage is incredibly valuable for understanding what late capitalist livelihoods look like and what post-capitalist livelihoods could look like。 The narrative itself is breezy and captivating， a tangle of distinct but interconnected stories， and Tsing really brings life to the places and populations she describes。Read this book。 。。。more
Hannah Nikole Almonte
，
The book could use more structure: some parts felt rambling while others felt underdeveloped。 The parts I enjoyed most were about the culture of matsutake pickers and I wish she’d leaned into the ethnography more。
Wowa Degtar
，
An absolutely must for anthropologists and all who wants to switch from human centralistic focus to non-human。 We should think like that more often in times of Anthropocene。
Maroun Baydoun
，
I don't think this book knows what it wants to be or what message it wants to convey。 Unless it's written for exceptionally intelligent people， I didn't grasp how it addresses life in the ruins of capitalism。 I don't think this book knows what it wants to be or what message it wants to convey。 Unless it's written for exceptionally intelligent people， I didn't grasp how it addresses life in the ruins of capitalism。 。。。more
Rhys
，
A peculiar but engaging read - anthropology with a narrative on our capitalist world。 Precarity， livable collaborations， scalability， savage & salvage， the idea of gifts from commodities， the latent commons 。。。 interesting ideas illustrated through the global trade of matsutake mushrooms。
Arlene
，
I was lured into reading this book by its provocative subtitle， which promises an exploration of “the possibility of life in capitalist ruins”。 However， the text does not deliver on this front。 In all fairness， it does provide significant anthropological analysis and meta-analysis on just about everything you’d ever want to know about the matsutake mushroom， its economic eco-systems， its foragers， and its consumers。 The sections that focused on economics felt thin， and there was little to no spe I was lured into reading this book by its provocative subtitle， which promises an exploration of “the possibility of life in capitalist ruins”。 However， the text does not deliver on this front。 In all fairness， it does provide significant anthropological analysis and meta-analysis on just about everything you’d ever want to know about the matsutake mushroom， its economic eco-systems， its foragers， and its consumers。 The sections that focused on economics felt thin， and there was little to no speculation about future societal strategies for survival in a collapsed capitalistic landscape， which was what I was hoping to learn more about。 Overall， I found the experience of reading this book to be tedious and disappointing。 I’m giving it 3 stars for solid academic ethnography。 。。。more
Craig Werner
，
There's a lot to like about this book--it's focus on the way ethnic communities forge opportunity on the fringes of capitalism， the celebration of fungi。 But it was a hard read as a result of a theoretical abstract vocabulary that struck me as designed to get the writer tenure--she's at the very theoretically oriented History of Consciousness program at Santa Cruz--than illuminate the issues。 It's not wrong， just muddying。 It probably didn't help that I read it back to back with Merlin Sheldrake There's a lot to like about this book--it's focus on the way ethnic communities forge opportunity on the fringes of capitalism， the celebration of fungi。 But it was a hard read as a result of a theoretical abstract vocabulary that struck me as designed to get the writer tenure--she's at the very theoretically oriented History of Consciousness program at Santa Cruz--than illuminate the issues。 It's not wrong， just muddying。 It probably didn't help that I read it back to back with Merlin Sheldrake's engaging and equally smart fungus book Entangled Life。 Basically Tsing indulges the temptation to turn mushrooms into political metaphors that Sheldrake cautions against。 If you don't mind theory， give it another star。 。。。more
Charlotte Dunn
，
Uni reading。 I think you might need to be on a different kind of mushrooms to find parts of this matsutake ethnography gripping。 Highly political title for a book that is almost exclusively anthropology。 This felt like an attempt to write anthropology how Rovelli writes physics which led to lines like "Although historians rush to differentiate the modernization achieved by Japan’s Meiji Restoration and the failures of China’s Great Leap Forward， from the perspective of a tree， there may not have Uni reading。 I think you might need to be on a different kind of mushrooms to find parts of this matsutake ethnography gripping。 Highly political title for a book that is almost exclusively anthropology。 This felt like an attempt to write anthropology how Rovelli writes physics which led to lines like "Although historians rush to differentiate the modernization achieved by Japan’s Meiji Restoration and the failures of China’s Great Leap Forward， from the perspective of a tree， there may not have been much difference。" - hmm lacks substance。 Pretty basic economic point about constant growth and progression being unsustainable - a point better made in Doughnut Economics。 Interesting notes on the DNA revolution， link to Reich， and how mushrooms are difficult to define as species。 I liked the ideas about the role of gift giving and its hierarchy which reminded me of Will Storr's writings on the individual vs collective in the east and west。Overall， just about worth reading but very niche。 。。。more
Alexander Al-Feghali
，
Markets and Mushrooms， great listen
Rebecca Lee
，
This book would be so much more impactful had the author discarded that academic journal style of writing。 The topic is highly interesting and the underlying intellectual pursuit is inspirational， yet the prose is hopelessly pedantic。
Katherine
，
"Without stories of progress， the world has become a terrifying place。 The ruin glares at us with the horror of its abandonment。 It's not easy to know how to make a life， much less avert planetary destruction。 Luckily there is still company， human and not human。 We can still explore the overgrown verges of our blasted landscapes—the edges of capitalist discipline， scalability， and abandoned resource plantations。 We can still catch the scent of the latent commons—and the elusive autumn aroma。"I'd "Without stories of progress， the world has become a terrifying place。 The ruin glares at us with the horror of its abandonment。 It's not easy to know how to make a life， much less avert planetary destruction。 Luckily there is still company， human and not human。 We can still explore the overgrown verges of our blasted landscapes—the edges of capitalist discipline， scalability， and abandoned resource plantations。 We can still catch the scent of the latent commons—and the elusive autumn aroma。"I'd spent a long time as I read this book wondering how I could encapsulate its central thesis—it was a marvelously complex and far-ranging book， with many intriguing ideas， but I found it a bit confusing and hard to fully grasp at times。 Words like 'scalability，' 'commons，' and the concept of post-industrial， post-exploited landscapes returned again and again， but alongside a flurry of vignettes covering everything from economics to ecology。 Ultimately it was the last paragraph of the penultimate chapter， quoted above， that tied everything together in a coherent way。 I really appreciated how this book took the oft-used trope of the 'history of an object' that's been done so frequently in the last few years， and approached it from a completely different and refreshing point of view。 。。。more
Oliver Whong
，
It took me THREE YEARS to read this book。 I really enjoyed it and will probably revisit it。 It was a crucial piece in the formation of my understandings of nature and humans。 I think reading this with Braiding Sweet Grass （Robin Wall Kimmerer） worked very well and I would suggest anyone who has read one to read the other。 My biggest take away is generally moving away from binary of human or nature where human disturbance is wholly negative and harmful and towards understanding respectful interac It took me THREE YEARS to read this book。 I really enjoyed it and will probably revisit it。 It was a crucial piece in the formation of my understandings of nature and humans。 I think reading this with Braiding Sweet Grass （Robin Wall Kimmerer） worked very well and I would suggest anyone who has read one to read the other。 My biggest take away is generally moving away from binary of human or nature where human disturbance is wholly negative and harmful and towards understanding respectful interactions as neccessary for both the human and more than human world。 Overall it inspired morbid hope in me。 It’s terrifying to see our reality more fully。 。。。more
Camille Jovanovic
，
This book has some really interesting stories about capitalism and value， told through a close look at forests and mushrooms。 In places I found it hard to follow the writing or pick up on the nuance。
Jeremy Bell
，
This one of the most engaging and enjoyable books I've read in a while， full many twists， turns， and beautiful insights abouts the interconnected webs of life， all through the standpoint of a specific type of mushroom。 This one of the most engaging and enjoyable books I've read in a while， full many twists， turns， and beautiful insights abouts the interconnected webs of life， all through the standpoint of a specific type of mushroom。 。。。more
Michael
，
This book tries to do more than it actually achieves， but it's still very good nonetheless。 Its a critique of both post-capitalist and total-capitalist conceptions of economic activity， instead focusing on the "peri-capitalist" and "salvage economy" where non-capitalist endeavors are alienated from their selves in order to become capitalist units， only to be re-transformed into non-capitalist objects （e。g。 to foster community）。 Theres also some stuff that I didn't fully follow about identity for This book tries to do more than it actually achieves， but it's still very good nonetheless。 Its a critique of both post-capitalist and total-capitalist conceptions of economic activity， instead focusing on the "peri-capitalist" and "salvage economy" where non-capitalist endeavors are alienated from their selves in order to become capitalist units， only to be re-transformed into non-capitalist objects （e。g。 to foster community）。 Theres also some stuff that I didn't fully follow about identity formation and some kind of seemingly white nationalist / Pacific Northwest radical groups valorizing "freedom"。 And theres a really good （though I think not original） dichotomy between history = non-reversible occurrences and equilibrium/cyclical/non-historical = long cycles。 Essentially the claim is that rather than Nature or Economy being something that can reach equilibrium and strives to do so， the author posits that Nature and the Economy are examples of history via the interplay of groups。 As such， individuals and species are not stand alone actors but instead theres a constant historical loop。 The examples here resonate less with me that the framing which I think was well done。 This is then connected to a non-linear time structure in the book which frankly didn't seem to happen as much as was promised in the introduction。Overall a worthwhile listen。 。。。more
Saara
，
Hmm。 Antropologiaa etnografian keinoin， kulttuurimaantiedettä， taloustiedettä ja biologiaa toki。 Tämä oli aikamoinen sillisalaatti （sienisalaatti？）， tarkoituksellisesti。 Luulen että olisin saanut enemmän irti jos tuntisin enemmän nykyantropologian kenttää， tai laajempaa sieni-innostusta， mutta kenttätyön kuvaus ja tulokset on kiinnostavia。 Suomalaisten metsäsuhdemyytin purku on aina hyvää。
Jona Stewart
，
lordt
Tamara
，