Short abstract

This paper examines when species become accepted as native. Drawing on ethnography of different species and their shifting positions between foreignness and acceptance, it reconsiders the tensions between scientific classifications, cultural perceptions, and ecological interpretations.

Long abstract

Species have always migrated and reshaped ecosystems, but climate change and accelerated globalization have intensified these processes, producing far-reaching ecological, social, and economic effects. Invasive species are not only scientific or environmental concerns; they also carry political and cultural meanings. Their spread is shaped by historical and contemporary power relations, as are the efforts to manage or eradicate them. Yet despite extensive scholarship, species continue to be framed through a rigid native/alien dichotomy.

This presentation, part of a broader project on cultural attitudes toward alien and invasive species, examines the cultural and political implications of determining when an alien species becomes native. Drawing on ethnographic research conducted in Israel–Palestine among scientists, environmental activists, farmers, and local residents, it analyzes the tensions between scientific classifications and everyday perceptions.

Focusing on debates surrounding eucalyptus trees and common mynas, the talk shows how different species occupy distinct positions along a shifting matrix between acceptance and estrangement. These cases complicate taken-for-granted categories of nativeness, alienness, and invasion.

Engaging more-than-human theory and the anthropology of emotions, the study highlights how perceptions of species are shaped by temporal depth, cultural symbolism, spatial visibility, and assessments of material harm. By foregrounding these dimensions, the presentation proposes a more fluid understanding of nativeness and foreignness, and invites a broader reconsideration of acceptance, acclimatization, and exclusion in socio-political contexts.