Radical Botany uncovers a speculative tradition that conjures new languages to grasp the life of plants in all its specificity and vigor. Plants complement and challenge notions of human life. The book traces the implications of the speculative mobilization of plants within literature and art for feminism, queer studies, and posthumanist thought.
Set in 18th-century France, the book explores the rise of secular materialism through the lens of representation and the body. It examines how the depiction of physical forms, from atoms to anatomies, influenced Enlightenment thought. Central questions arise about how bodies should be represented and the impact of these representations on audiences. By focusing on these themes, it highlights the significance of material substance in shaping philosophical debates of the time.