The Art of Marshy Thinking

What can be learned by studying wetlands at the intersection of cultural geography and the environmental humanities? This paper draws on research in the applied and social sciences to offer insights into the complexities of assemblages of water and land that are constantly in flux. Spatial and temporal matters are taken as a starting point for delving into pressing questions to do with ecosystem services, value perception and reasons for appreciation/depreciation. The significance of nineteenth-century literary and artistic representations of swampy sites is then broached in terms of mapping shifting attitudes and possibilities for greater public engagement. Ultimately, I make the case for a type of ‘marshy thinking’ as a way of responding to the challenges of the climate crisis through care for all those ecologies that tend to be deemed less than spectacular.