Wolf or human? New insights into coexistence in Switzerland!

Wolf or human? New insights into coexistence in Switzerland!

Verena Schröder recently received the VGDH Prize 2025 for her dissertation "Human-wolf relationships in the Alpine cultural landscape. Transactions, intra-actions and resonances: A more-than-human geography of connection". The outstanding work was written in the human geography working group at the KU. The dissertation was awarded the highest grade summa cum laude and shows how the return of wolves to Switzerland opens up new perspectives on the coexistence of humans and animals.

Schröder, who worked as a research assistant at the KU from 2017 to 2024, currently works in development and sustainability research at the University of Innsbruck. Her research focuses on the mutual relationship between humans and wolves and focuses in particular on the emotional experiences that play a significant role in the debates surrounding the return of wolves. “The emotional experiences are crucial for understanding social environmental conflicts,” explains Schröder. Her dissertation encourages us to rethink the relationship between humans and wolves and other living creatures.

New methodological approaches

In her dissertation, Schröder used innovative methods that were developed from an anthropocentrism-critical perspective. These include go-alongs, animal-centered storytelling, and multisensory and visual methods. A central element is the development of a collaborative comic. This comic, which was presented in an exhibition as a multisensory experience with background music, aims to make more-than-human narratives emotionally tangible. The comic helps to reach a wider readership and increase the visibility of scientific results, acting as a tool for science communication.

Field research was carried out in the Swiss Calanda area, where a wolf pack has lived since 2012. During her stays in huts, Schröder observed the interactions between people, wolves and other animals. These observational studies are part of their approach to capturing the social resonances and emotional reactions to the presence of wolves. “Coexistence should be understood above all as a physical practice,” says the dissertation.

Research projects and future visions

The project led by Schröder to return wolves to the cultural landscape is funded by the German Research Foundation (DFG). It not only examines the acceptance of wolves, but also questions the boundaries in the wolf debate. Schröder emphasizes that previous discussions often focus on the welfare of farm animals and thus narrow the view of the complex interactions between humans and animals.

The theoretical basis of her work includes the classical pragmatism of John Dewey as well as the agential realism of Karen Barad and the resonance theory of Hartmut Rosa. These theoretical approaches offer a non-dualistic framework that focuses on the interconnections between people, animals and their material environments.

With her dissertation and accompanying projects, Schröder is developing a foundation for coexistence based on connection instead of control. Her work aims to promote an understanding of the indeterminacy of wolves and to create new forms of liveliness and self-efficacy. The book for the dissertation was published by transcript-Verlag and is available as open access in order to reach as many readers as possible and to further advance the discussion about human-wolf relationships.