Plant Humanities: Where Arts, Humanities and Plants meet

植物对人类的健康和幸福至关重要——实际上，对我们的生存至关重要。长期以来，科学家们一直在研究植物，他们收集了各种形式的标本、插图、活植物和植物学数据，以帮助他们的研究。这样的科学收藏对于其他学科的研究人员来说，无论是在物理上还是在智力上都很难获得。然而，来自艺术和人文学科的学者和创造性实践者正在越来越多地解决与植物和基于植物的知识相关的研究课题。在某些情况下，他们加入了社会科学家和生物科学家的行列，试图找到具有挑战性和复杂问题的答案——比如如何防止生物多样性丧失，如何以可持续的方式保护文化或自然遗产，或者如何使藏品更能代表经常提供它们的人群。该项目将概述植物人文学科在鼓励和支持创新、引人入胜和跨学科研究方面的潜力。它将包括(a)艺术和人文科学研究，包括为科学目的而收集的标本，如植物标本馆标本和生物文化收藏品；(b)涉及艺术、人文、社会科学和科学研究人员的多学科项目；(c)大学、植物和文物研究机构就植物相关的收藏和专业知识开展合作；(d)扩大对这些机构及其各种研究资产（包括干植物标本、植物人工制品、植物艺术、活植物、建筑物、档案和图书馆）的物质、智力和文化访问。“植物人文”这个词是一个相对较新的词汇。敦巴顿橡树园的植物人文倡议（2018年9月启动）是哈佛大学附属的一个主要人文研究中心与JSTOR之间的战略合作伙伴关系，由安德鲁梅隆基金会支持。北美和欧洲的其他地方也有类似的举措。它们通常涉及来自广泛的艺术和人文学科（包括美术、文学、历史、科学研究、文化地理学、人类学、考古学和哲学）的研究人员，并将学术研究和创造性实践与生态、环境和自然问题联系起来，共同目标是确保更广泛的社会效益。该项目研究将为英国的类似倡议提供基于证据的案例，为AHRC自身的资助能力及其获得更广泛的资助机会的工作提供信息。该项目将包括桌面研究、访谈、实地考察和讲习班。桌面研究包括对相关艺术和人文文学的回顾；近期倡议的案例研究，包括敦巴顿橡树园（项目合作伙伴）的植物人文倡议，以及对大学、植物机构和研究委员会面临的相关战略问题的评估。采访对象包括英国大学的艺术和人文学者、植物园和相关研究所的科学家和藏品经理。将实地考察美国、德国和意大利的相关研究所，观察和讨论该领域的范例。研讨会将在邱园皇家植物园举行，并将涉及相关艺术和人文学科，植物园，图书馆，受邀国际研究人员，早期职业研究人员和合作博士生的主要利益相关者。主要产出将是一份范围界定研究报告，该报告将使人权委员会、大学研究人员和非高等教育机构（主要是植物园和博物馆）受益。研究结果还将通过一篇开放获取的文章在同行评议的期刊上传播，并在英国的讲习班和研讨会上发表。研究和专业团体将通过数字媒体随时了解情况。

Plants are essential for human health and well-being - indeed, for our very existence. Plants have long been studied by scientists who have amassed collections of specimens, illustrations, living plants and botanical data in various forms to aid their research. Such scientific collections can be difficult for researchers from other disciplines to access, both physically and intellectually. Yet scholars and creative practitioners from across the arts and humanities are increasingly addressing research topics relating to plants and plant-based knowledge. In some cases, they have joined social scientists and bioscientists in seeking to find answers to challenging and complex questions - such as how to prevent biodiversity loss, how to conserve cultural or natural heritage in sustainable ways or how to render collections more representative of the populations which frequently provide them. This project will provide an overview of the potential of the Plant Humanities for encouraging and supporting innovative, engaging and interdisciplinary research. It will include (a) arts and humanities research into collections assembled for scientific purposes, such as herbarium specimens and biocultural collections; (b) multi-disciplinary projects involving arts, humanities, social science and science researchers; (c) collaboration between universities, and botanical and heritage institutions with plant-related collections and expertise; and (d) the extension of physical, intellectual, and cultural access to such institutions and their diverse research assets, including dried plant specimens, plant-based artefacts, botanical art, living plants, buildings, archives and libraries.The term 'Plant Humanities' is a relatively recent coinage. The Plant Humanities Initiative at Dumbarton Oaks (launched September 2018) is a strategic partnership between a major humanities research centre affiliated with Harvard and JSTOR, supported by the Andrew Mellon Foundation. Similar initiatives can be found elsewhere in North America and Europe. Typically they involve researchers from a wide range of arts and humanities disciplines (including fine art, literature, history, science studies, cultural geography, anthropology, archaeology and philosophy), and link scholarly research and creative practice with questions of ecology, environment and nature, with the shared goal of securing wider social benefits.The project research will inform an evidence-based case for comparable initiatives in the UK, informing the work of AHRC with its own funding capacity and its access to wider funding opportunities. The project will include desk-based research, interviews, site visits and a workshop. The Desk-based research comprises a review of relevant arts and humanities literature; case studies of recent initiatives including the Plant Humanities initiative at Dumbarton Oaks (a project partner) and assessment of related strategic issues facing universities, botanical institutions and research councils. Interviews will be organised with a range of arts and humanities academics in UK universities, and scientists and collections managers in botanical gardens and allied institutes. Site visits will be made to relevant institutes in the USA, Germany and Italy to observe and discuss exemplars in the field. The workshop will take place at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, and will involve key stakeholders in relevant arts and humanities disciplines, botanic gardens, libraries, invited international researchers, early career researchers and collaborative PhD students. The principal output will be a scoping study report which will benefit the AHRC, University researchers and non-HE institutions (principally botanical gardens and museums). Findings will also be disseminated through an open-access article in a peer-reviewed journal and presented in workshops and seminars in the UK. Research and professional communities will be kept informed through digital media.