Craft and the ethics of consolation: slow organizing in the Anthropocene
Year: 2026
Type: article
Abstract: This article develops the concept of slow organizing to explore how communities can respond to irreversible ecological loss in the Anthropocene. Drawing on ethnographic research with textile artist Birgitta Nordström, who weaves shrouds for stillborn children, we examine how time-sensitive, materially embedded and emotionally attuned practices can facilitate collective mourning. Rather than treating grief as a private or individual pathology, we argue that slow organizing turns mourning into a shared, generative and practical labour. By attending to the embodied, relational and anticipatory dimensions of this work, the article demonstrates how slow organizing can cultivate forms of care and responsibility that sustain communities facing ongoing planetary change. This article is part of the theme issue 'The biosphere in the Anthropocene'.
Authors: Rasmus Johnsen, Marta Gasparin
Institution: Copenhagen Business School
Language: English
Subfield: Cultural Studies
Field: Social Sciences
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: hybrid
OpenAlex ID: W7125415727