fungi & The Potential of the under dog

                It’s something of a paradox. On one hand, if fungi were not historically and systemically neglected by academia and policy makers, we might be living in a completely different world. On the other hand, if mycology was institutionalized and codified in the same ways as the other sciences, it might have trapped fungi in an inaccessible and exploitable position. In some ways, the extreme oversight that allowed fungi to slide under the radar for so long has left the door open for the community based mycological activism that is happening today.

                Imagine if everyone at the USDA or everyone in Congress had a basic understanding of fungal ecology. How would that change the way we farm or manage our national forests? How would it change regulations on the logging industry? Would this look better than our current situation? Or would fungi have fallen victim to the same large scale extraction processes that we currently deploy against plants, animals, and minerals? It’s impossible to say, although kind of a mind freak to think about.

                To be fair, not all of academia has ignored fungi. There are universities and colleges in the US that offer courses in mycology, although they are typically umbrellaed under botany- despite the many morphological, genetic, and ecological differences between plants and fungi. As a whole, though, fungi are often left out of the academic picture. I have an environmental science degree, and with the exception of a five minute aside on the chestnut blight, I don’t recall learning anything about fungi in college. I don’t mean to single out my alma matter- situations like mine are the norm.

                But here’s the silver lining: mycology is not locked up in ivory towers or made inaccessible by prohibitively high tuition rates. And while those of us wanting to pursue livelihoods in mycology often have to forge our own paths, we’re usually not competing with stacked resumes of folks with PhDs or even bachelors degrees in mycology. This is simply because those degrees are largely non-existent. There’s tons of room for professional amateurs in the fungal world- and people from all walks of life are threading together the fabric of a very real and powerful mycological movement.

                Although evolving, the halls of academia and government have historically been made up of, well, a pretty homogenous group of people. Has mycology escaped the deleterious effects of homogeneity by being ignored by the powers that be for so long? Has their neglect given us the chance to build a more inclusive and diverse community to share knowledge and perspectives?  With an ally as powerful as fungi, that’s some serious potential.

I don’t think it’s a coincidence that mycology attracts people who have maybe felt unseen or silenced. We relate to fungi on a personal level. Not only this, but many of us are yearning for a more connected and resilient way of life. Understanding fungi and respectfully working with fungi creates the potential for a world that welcomes those of us operating on the fringe of “normal.” And as the movement grows, more and more people are beginning to question what’s “normal” anyway.

                I think the challenge moving forward will be to keep mycology a community driven, unco-opted space, without picking up the self-sabotaging, movement killing habits of purism and gate keeping. I think we are alive in amazing times, and I’m excited to see where it goes.