The CNU Gender Research Institute hosted a book talk with the book titled "The Mushroom at the End of the World" at the Woomi Conference Hall located in Jeongbomaru on September 15. Noh Go-woon (Professor, Dept. of Cultural Anthropology and Archeology), who translated the book from English into Korean, gave a lecture to attendees during the book talk. 

The author of this book, worldwide anthropologist Anna Lowenhaupt Tsing, professor from the University of California, introduces matsutake mushrooms and compares them with the structure of capitalism. The mushrooms only grow in contaminated environments, such as deforested lands. Considering the precarious conditions that they grow in, she lets readers imagine if cooperative survival between humans and everything else is possible in the era of capitalism. As a solution, she suggests methods for modern people to overcome the ruins of capitalism through a non-human creature: matsutake mushrooms. Consequentially, she emphasizes that indeterminacy and precarity, which can be observed in the habitat of mushrooms, are paradoxically what make the world diverse.

During the Q&A session, Professor Noh mentioned her difficulty in translating the book into Korean. “Since the terminologies that Tsing used don’t match with Korean precisely, finding appropriate and understandable terms was my first priority. I had a hard time translating her literary style into formal expressions as well.” Lee Hye-ryeong (Senior, Dept. of Communication) said, “I participated in this book talk because the person who gave a lecture on the book today is my favorite professor. I have taken her classes very often. Every time I attend her class, I get inspired by her passion. This book talk showed me how seeing the world from various perspectives and broadening the horizons are important.”