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When rock becomes life/alive

Master thesis Anthropology and Development Studies

This thesis explores human and nonhuman interrelationship by studying the practice of rock climbing from a post humanist perspective inspired by the work of Bruno Latour and Anna Tsing. Rock climbing is an interesting practice to study. More people than ever before are participating in the outdoor adventure sport of rock climbing, which involves climbing up rock formations. Rock climbing has various forms and within this study I focused on sport climbing and bouldering. The societal relevance of this study is that the present ecological crises suggest the urgent need for rethinking the meanings of humans and natures and their interrelations. Through ethnographic field research - which involved participant observation and informal interviews - in various canyons of the volcanic island of Tenerife, this study contributed to the understanding of interrelations between climber and rock. This thesis concludes that human–rock interactions happen through various dimensions and it has shown how the role of nature and the way it performs agency has many facets. Through their interaction, the rock and the climber intertwine, which this thesis has described through a more than human focus, i.e. by also paying attention to the role of nonhuman actors. The interaction of climber and rock ranges from scouting and reading the lines to feeling the moves of the line, to the touch of skin or rubber on the texture of the rock.

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Course: Master thesis Anthropology and Development Studies

Date: Sep 2022 - Aug 2023

Supervisor: Martijn Koster

Research location: Tenerife 

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