10.26298/1984-4104 Yimin Zhang https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1193-1420 Melusina Press 2026 Monograph human-nature connection human-nature relationships relational values environmental ethnography grounded theory method (gtm) University of Luxembourg https://ror.org/036x5ad56 Faculty of Humanities, Education and Social Sciences en 978-2-919844-13-5 978-2-919844-12-8 978-2-919844-11-1 978-2-919844-10-4 application/epub+zip application/pdf text/html application/tei+xml 1 Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International open access The contemporary world is experiencing unprecedented environmental changes driven by human activities. In this context, the relationship between humans and nature has emerged as an urgent topic. As recent studies have revealed an increasing disconnection between modern societies and the natural world, the imperative of reconnecting people with nature has become a major concern in both policy and academic discourse. While prevailing discourses often frame (re)connection with nature within the contexts of sustainability policies and environmental activism, little attention has been paid to how human-nature relationships unfold in people’s everyday environmental engagement. How do ordinary individuals – those without policy-level influence or direct experiences of environmental disasters – value their connections with nature in daily life? This question remains understudied. In this book, the author examines connecting with nature as a mundane, everyday engagement undertaken by ordinary people. Using ethnographic methods of participant observation, video-recorded fieldwork, and ethnographic interviews, Zhang explores the perspectives and experiences of a group of environmental volunteers in Luxembourg. The ethnographic data were analysed using constructivist Grounded Theory Methods (GTM) to answer two research questions: (1) Which perspectives do participants consider important for initiating and deepening connections with nature? (2) What views of nature and human-nature relationships are embedded in participants’ engagement with nature from these perspectives? Findings reveal that participants value three key dimensions in developing meaningful connections with nature: embodied experiences, intellectual engagement and emotional resonance. Through these approaches of connection, participants express an awareness of nature’s agency and embrace a notion of human-inclusive naturalness. These findings challenge the instrumental view of nature and foreground a relational perspective, thereby contributing empirical depth and nuance to the evolving conceptual framework of relational values and offering practical insights for re-establishing the human-nature connection in everyday life. 1. Introduction 2. Literature Review Defining Nature and Human-Nature Connection Researching Connection with Nature Establishing a Research Niche Researching Values of Nature Problem Statement and Research Questions 3. Methodology An Ethno-case Study Approach Methods of Data Collection Data Constructed Ethical Considerations Methodological Limitations 4. Analytical Framework Navigating the Analytical Challenges of Ethnographic Inquiry Redefining the Foreshadowed Problem First Round of Data Analysis: Refining the Object of Inquiry and Formulating Research Questions Second Round of Data Analysis Using Grounded Theory Method (GTM) 5. Findings and Discussion Sowing Seeds and Tending Soil for Connection with Nature Pollinating Blossoms and Harvesting Fruits of Human-Nature Relationships 6. Conclusion