Nestwork: New Material Rhetorics for Precarious Species by Jennifer Clary-Lemon (review).

Beste, Maura

Jennifer Clary-Lemon's book "Nestwork: New Material Rhetorics for Precarious Species" explores the relationship between endangered bird species and conservation efforts in Canada. The book introduces the concept of "nestwork" as a methodology for responsible world-making based on embodied knowledge in ecological care ethics. By focusing on specific endangered bird species, such as barn swallows, chimney swifts, and bobolinks, Clary-Lemon offers insights into human-bird entanglements, temporal sovereignty, and ecological care. The book advocates for listening to nonhuman sensibilities and attending to ethical existence during species loss, providing a valuable framework for scholars in various fields interested in multispecies ethnographic research.

WILDLIFE conservation; BIOLOGICAL extinction; CLIMATE change; RARE birds; BIRD conservation; BIRD nests

Configurations, 2025, Vol 33, Issue 1, p85

1063-1801

Academic Journal

10.1353/con.2025.a948962