I’m so honoured to see my work on Storytelling & Narratives on the perception of Insects featured by the University of Leeds today. I’ve been so grateful to my colleagues for the collaborations, and the Royal Entomological Society for supporting and making visible this important work for so long – it’s great to see a shift in the public discussion of science towards the importance of traditionally humanities-based research. If this interests you, check out this radio programme on Moths, or this article on insects in games, films and books.
An extract from the blog highlights:
We may not always realise it, but our attitudes, likes and dislikes, fears and habits are often crafted for us by generations of narratives. For example, many people understand the benefits of a healthy bee population. They may see bees as cute, helpful and unique. However, they might hate wasps with a passion, find them to be a nuisance and want to avoid “wasp season” at all costs. In truth, both are pollinators who improve our natural world, even if they also have the potential to sting us. Dr Franziska E Kohlt researches how narratives shape our relationships with insects. From Alice in Wonderland to Animal Crossing, we have all absorbed stories about animals throughout our lives.
Dr Franziska Kohlt 