A Letter from the Board

Dear reader, 

We would like to welcome you to the 19th edition of Tvergastein in which we challenge the notion of ‘the body’: a physical condition for our existence as we know it and an often-overlooked part of everyday life. Through an exploration of the many bodies that constitute life on this planet—whether that’s a human body, a more-than-human body, or a body politic—we hope to uncover only a fraction of the ways our bodies are subject to material and conceptual disruption. We are especially concerned with the social grounds from which ideas about the body and bodily practices are produced. As we witness the constant brutalization of bodies around the world, we ask both ourselves and our readers to critically examine how the body can serve as a site of pain, exploitation, and domination but also of pleasure, care, and resistance. We offer this issue as a space to illuminate these ideas, and as an interdisciplinary journal of the environment, development, and culture, we editors are delighted to present a diverse collection of submissions that expand Tvergastein’s academic and literary scope.  

To begin this year’s journal, we present Ava’s sobering piece on the violent Israeli occupation of Palestinian bodies, yet also how the bodily presence of Palestinian communities constitutes a form of resistance and self-determination. Following this, Louise explores the work of radical feminist philosopher Iris Marion Young, particularly how she theorizes the feminine body as ‘physically handicapped’ and thus a site of oppression in sexist society. In a similar vein, Kirsten offers a thoughtful analysis of Francesca Woodman’s and Louise Bourgeois’ creative works through the philosophical writings of Simone de Beauvoir, arguing that feminine embodiment is both an experience of social containment and empowerment. We then turn to Pernille’s couplet of poems through which she reflects on her own experiences of deep physical introspection and more-than-human belonging. Next, you will find Jaqueline’s three-part lyrical interpretation of the historical, cultural, and bodily experiences of the Chinese-Indonesian women who left their homes in the aftermath of the May 1998 riots. Then, through a dialogue between the political philosophical work of Nancy Fraser and Michel Foucault’s concepts of power and governmentality, Anna urges us to interrogate how reproductive bodies are shaped by neoliberal ideas of rationality, self-regulation, and autonomy. Following this, Trym guides us through his reading of Italian Marxist Amadeo Bordiga, and how a dialectical logic can enrich our understanding of the state, or the body politic, in and under capitalism. After Trym, Jennifer offers a personal reflection on the ‘mundane’ experience of tooth pain and her accompanying feelings of shame and guilt. Živilė presents another personal reflection on the need to rekindle an intimate, bodily connection to non-human nature, followed by Laura’s essay on how outdoor recreation can be made increasingly accessible for socially marginalized bodies. This is then followed by two poems: August leads us through a lyrical narrative of grief, death, and decomposition; Malachy transports us to a world in which earthly bodies can talk. Next, Angelique explores how bodily factors both hinder and facilitate vegan eating efforts, and then, María and Dušan draw personal maps of their bodies to visualize how they both carry within them social, geographical, and emotional meaning.  We then turn to Juan’s creative essay on the political and environmental history of Colombia’s Cauca river, followed by Sóla’s essay on the revitalization of Scottish Gaelic and Sámi languages through which the body is conceptualized as a site of linguistic and cultural survival. After this, Mara imagines the Mediterranean sea as a feminine, bodily entity, narrating the history of suffering she has witnessed. Joakim presents us with a speculative fiction poem about the last days of a monarch and the legacy he leaves behind after death, and then, Sindre offers a philosophical reflection on the sky’s corporeality—or lack thereof. Andrea guides us through their discussion of human and cyborg embodiment, challenging the conceptual and normative parameters of what it means to have a ‘proper’ human body. Lastly, Marcus reviews Mathew Beaumont’s 2024 book How We Walk: a theoretical and literary exploration of the body in Frantz Fanon’s philosophical and political writings. 

Each of these pieces offer a unique reflection on this issue’s theme that challenges what we typically consider ‘the body’ to be. We hope that our readers will take this opportunity to not only question their own ideas of the human body and the social structures through which they are shaped, but also the myriad non-human bodies that make life as we know it possible. 

Happy reading!

Tvergastein Editorial Board 2024/2025