Tenderness in the Anthropocene: Feminist Lens on Unearthing Humanity

Abstract (English)

Recognizing the growing precarity and vulnerability of the human condition, linked to extractive global capitalism, the deeply embedded ideology of liberal individualism, and increasing social disconnection, this paper explores the concept of tenderness. Precariousness, as an inescapable aspect of life, necessitates an ontological shift away from focusing on individualism and the mere protection of life itself. Instead, it directs our attention to the conditions that sustain life, as Judith Butler argues, which either enhance or diminish its precariousness in specific contexts and times (2004; 2009).
We propose that tenderness can be seen as a key approach to rediscovering humanity; that is, a formative pathway for unearthing humanity. Drawing on the writings of Olga Tokarczuk (2019; 2020), tenderness is conceptualized as a transformative ethical stance that potentially transcends the dominant discourse of the Anthropocene. Instead, it narrates and channels human connectedness with others and the natural environment. This process involves a recognition of sharing life with other beings in a network of limitless interdependencies, and moving towards a symbiotic community that is built through co-creation. This approach highlights the agency that arises from various entanglements, or "intra-actions" as Karen Barad describes them - specific, continually evolving relationships (Barad, 2007).
We draw on the example of an artist garden to illustrate how a symbiotic approach to space can enhance the interconnectedness with nature, its heritage value and mutual support within a community, fostering a thriving and sustainable environment.
The Scottish artist and poet Ian Hamilton Finlay's garden, Little Sparta, demonstrates the view of humanity as being an integral part of a broader ecological system, sharing and participating in the space with tenderness. This perspective, as Judith Butler has argued, acknowledges our shared vulnerability and challenges the notion of humanity as separate from, or superior to nature, thereby decentering human dominance in the Anthropocene.
We conclude that, on a theoretical level, the concept of a "tender condition of coexistence" (Tokarczuk, 2020) challenges the centrality of anthropocentrism. It moves beyond humanism towards a multi-species symbiotic community of the future, narrating and fostering interconnectedness. This approach can also achieve political benefits by intertwining diverse experiences associated with the Anthropocene.