Ethnomycology studies the place of fungi within human societies: the knowledge associated with them, the ways they are used, and the perceptions and representations they acquire in different cultures.
Ethnomycology emerged as a recognised field of research during the mid-twentieth century. The work of Valentina P. Wasson and R. Gordon Wasson, particularly their 1957 publication Mushrooms, Russia and History, played a major role in bringing the discipline to wider attention. Their research compared the relationships that different societies maintain with fungi, especially the distinction between mycophilic and mycophobic cultures, while also documenting ritual uses of mushrooms in Mexico.
During the 1950s and 1960s, ethnomycology became closely associated with the study of psychoactive mushrooms because of research carried out in Mexico and its broad international impact. This perspective, however, represents only one part of the field. Ethnomycology more broadly examines the knowledge, uses and cultural representations associated with fungi in different societies.
Since the 1970s, ethnomycological research has developed alongside ethnobiology, anthropology, history, ecology and other disciplines that explore the relationships between human societies and the living world. Research has focused on local knowledge, folk classifications, foraging practices, culinary and medicinal uses, and the ways in which this knowledge is transmitted.
Today, ethnomycology examines the many ways in which fungi and human societies interact. It draws upon biological, historical, anthropological and ethnographic research to better understand the place of fungi within cultures.
Founded in 2025, the Société ethnomycologique de Genève works within this field of research. It aims to bring together people interested in ethnomycology in order to encourage dialogue, documentation, research and the transmission of knowledge.