The Many Meanings of Flora
Re-Evaluating the Aesthetics and Politics of Plants
The Many Meanings of Flora
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. 
