There were two aspects of Tsing’s writing that stood out to me. The first was her emphasis on observation. Before the prologue, Tsing writes that “research categories develop with the research, not before it.” This captures the sheer essence of ethnographic research: to learn and to learn to understand. Beginning ethnographic research with specific questions and goals could lead to a process which reifies assumptions that cause the researcher to overlook critical aspects of their subjects without even realizing it. The second was the way that she incorporated counter arguments. This was evident in her discussion on progress, which really intrigued me. I felt like she opened my eyes to how our definition of “progress” has been exclusive and ignorant of other beings and processes co-existing in our world. But since progress has been long understood as a defining characteristic of human beings, it was also critical that she addressed both this and the fact that progress has brought about positive changes as well (like in politics). I think that by addressing these things she diminishes skepticism and avoids the trap of oversimplifying a large and complex idea.
Overall, I am very excited to read about the complex network of interactions that center around the matsutake mushroom from a lens which rejects our notion of progress and views it almost as a fabricated safety net for precarity. I also wonder, however, if there would be a way to redefine progress in a more micro and individualistic way that would promote inclusivity. Should we try and seek this out, or reject the idea of progress entirely? Would removing the idea of “progress” as a whole make our lives seem a little too directionless?