In the early 1960s, French anthropologist Claude Lévi-Strauss famously claimed that animal and plant species are chosen as totems because they are “bonnes à penser.” Although there is some debate about how to translate the meaning of this proposition into English, Lévi-Strauss's remark has inspired many scholars to think critically about the ways in which we include nonhuman entities in our research. In this workshop, inspired by Lévi-Strauss as well as more recent debates on multispecies entanglements, we aim to explore and unsettle common categories such as "animals," "humans," "environment," "soil" or "climate" by discussing ongoing research projects in the social and natural sciences. The workshop will be opened with a presentation by Prof. Fréderic Keck from the Laboratoire d'Anthropologie Sociale in Paris, France and a substantial part of the time will be dedicated to discussions and exchanges.

Registration until 20 October 2023: andrea.kaiser-grolimund@clutterswisstph.ch 

A detailed programme will be shared with the participants shortly before the workshop.