Paper short abstract:

This paper tackles the long stigmatization of fungi as enemies of heritage. By drawing on recent WWII ruins it highlights how fungi can be reframed as producers of positive futures by decomposing dark pasts and generating multi-species ecologies.

Paper long abstract:

In the Bible, Leviticus 14:33-57, God described mould as a “leprosy” of the house and prescribes detailed instructions for its cleansing. Thus, in what might be the oldest description and treatment method of fungal decay in the world, fungi are framed as the enemy of humans, society, and their built environment. While it is true that certain species of fungi have threatened and continue to threaten human health, objects, buildings, and desirable species humans rely on, fungi are also ubiquitous and omnipresent companion species in human environments. Beyond enabling desirable products for human consumption like beer, bread, and cheese, fungi also play a more subversive role in digesting the human past, literally turning it to other matter. The purpose of this paper is to consider if we can study fungi differently, specifically in the disciplines preoccupied with forestalling and preventing fungal decomposition – archaeology and heritage studies. By drawing on fieldwork on fungal ecologies at German WWII ruins from Sør-Varanger municipality in northeastern Norway, the paper will explore what unique more-than-human fungal ecologies are enabled by the human past and how fungi draw in various actors while transforming a dark, difficult, and heavy heritage. Ultimately, the paper aims to challenge the assumptions dominating heritage management and wider society that sees fungi primarily in a negative light. Instead, it will show that accepting some of the “leprosy” in houses could enable positive future outcomes.