A new mode of storytelling: Why we need stories that can foreground the non-human worlds

Today’s storytelling is often on the lookout for material in the time of the Anthropocene – the current human epoch. Material that includes both humans and non-humans on planet earth. This often involves brining “nature” into the narrative. But this word makes us think of an abstract and separate entity with preordained values and meanings attached to it. Nature becomes a secluded enclave containing aesthetic shapes that must be enjoyed from a touristic distance.

This perception grants a free licence to our species to exploit planetary resources and tap “nature”, because it is so separate from us. Some of the consequences, which might sound repetitive, are more than palpable today: global warming, untimely monsoons, delayed winters, lethal pollution, the attack of unknown viruses… the list does not seem to end.

A new narrative

What kind of stories do we want in such intense times? Simply put, stories that can be meticulous in depicting the more-than-human worlds around us. A sense of foreboding has made us believe that human discourses and cultures are only effective at reproducing structures of power, and these structures prevent us from engaging with non-human entities. This is why new modes of storytelling are necessary. We need stories that can foreground the non-human...

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