The Many Meanings of Flora
Re-Evaluating the Aesthetics and Politics of Plants
Department of
Art History & Department of Cultural Studies
Plants are not rigid symbols; they are dynamic
actors in cultural, political and economic processes. Depending on the historical context, the meanings they carry can be
altered, recharged or transformed into resistant narratives. The interdisciplinary conference The Many Meanings of Flora
critically re-examines the aesthetics and politics of plants, scrutinising their role in art, literature, science and society.
Throughout history, plants have shaped cultural narratives, functioning as projection
surfaces for ideas of power, belonging, nature and civilisation, and becoming symbols of resistance, home, exile, knowledge,
remembrance and oblivion. In art and literature, for example, they have been used as allegories of life and transience, while
in colonial contexts they have become tools of exploitation and control. Botanical knowledge production was closely linked
to imperial interests, contributing to the consolidation of Eurocentric systems of knowledge. Current debates demonstrate
the growing importance of plants in political struggles, ecological movements and postcolonial discourse. However, these meanings
are not fixed but are subject to constant re-evaluation depending on the political, social or economic climate. This conference
focuses on the multifaceted meanings of plants, placing particular emphasis on viewing them as active elements in historical
and contemporary negotiation processes.
Organized by Anita Hosseini (Department of Art History)
and Isabel Kranz (Department of Cultural Studies) moderated together with Lisa Marie Heuschober,
Maria Inês Lopes Vales & Lorenzo Zerbini
Please find the detailed programme
and the abstracts on the website
of the Department of Art History. 
