Francophone Working Group and Working Group on The Ritual Year

 

Upcoming Conference: “RI-NA-RI-CA” (Ritualizing Nature, Ritualizing Care) – 24-27 October 2026

The XXXVth Eurethno Workshop (Council of Europe), together with the 5th conference of the SIEF Francophone Working Group and the 16th conference of the SIEF Ritual Year Working Group, will be held at the Campus Carlone, 24-27 October 2026 – University Côte d’Azur – Nice (France).
The topic of the conference is “RI-NA-RI-CA” (Ritualizing Nature, Ritualizing Care).

Scientific statement

The challenges of this conference consist of linking current debates concerning the relativization of the notion of "nature" (Descola, Abram, Tsing, Kohn), on the one hand, and those postulating the growing need for a thought of "care" (Gilligan, Mol, Kleinman, Nussbaum), on the other hand.

In a context of widespread crisis (economic and political, ecological and climatic), it is no longer sufficient to criticize the ethnocentrism attached to Western conceptions of "nature." These critiques are positive insofar as they have led to the rehabilitation of other visions of the world, in particular the "perspectivist" point of view (Viveiro de Castro), indigenous ontologies and epistemologies. They also allow us to become more aware of the stranglehold that humans have over the planet, by insisting on the need to respect the diversity of living things and by fighting against extractivism and cultural appropriation. Finally, they nourish a "decolonial" thought that has become crucial in a globalized world. But a critical discourse that is content to deplore the advent of the "Anthropocene" (Crutzen) or the "Capitalocene" (Haraway) does not necessarily allow us to find effective solutions to the problems that contemporary societies repeatedly encounter.

It seems to us that a potentially fruitful way to address the difficult question of "solutions" is to cross or, at least, work towards a rapprochement between approaches to nature in the humanities and social sciences and the questioning of care and the ethics of care. To achieve this, we call for studies focused on the processes of ritualization, both collective and individual, of care and nature. How does progress in the thought of "care" require paying particular attention to "nature" and its manifestations? For example, what is at stake in the practices of naturopathy, sylvotherapy or in spiritual retreats "in nature"? What does the increasingly widespread desire to "reconnect with nature" mean, to include animals and plants, even everyday objects, in a reflection on humanity? What are the new forms of ritualization (Houseman, Boyer, Humphrey & Laidlaw) that are developing, and what do they produce at the level of groups and individual trajectories? How does the person manage, through these ritualized practices, to establish privileged relationships with their environment? How does the ritualization of "care" in daily gestures and habits, in encounters with care professionals, in its institutionalization, allow the development of new conceptions of ecology?

How, conversely, do advances in ecological thinking and our relationship with nature imply a renewed thinking about “care”? How does attention to the complexity of life intertwine with attention to oneself and to others? How can we apply this new sensitivity to nature in fields such as urban planning or design? How are human relationships with green spaces and diverse forms of life evolving as a result? How does the ritualization of our relationship with nature allow us to revitalize our relationship with ourselves and with those who constitute our “ecological niche,” our social environment?

From a practical point of view, we draw on the different approaches and methods of the human and social sciences (pragmatic and cognitive approaches, micro-interactionists, but also cultural and social, contextual and configurational approaches), to provide answers to these questions and to envisage a common research agenda. We welcome proposals for communications exploring the place of natural elements (animals, plants) in the rituals of traditional societies, as well as studies on contemporary ritualization processes that involve a thought of “care” and/or nature. Among other possible themes, we would like to explore the reactions and militant desires provoked by ecological and environmental crises, post-traumatic rituals linked to climate disasters, ecopoetic approaches that accompany the mourning of natural spaces and fears linked to the Anthropocene, as well as any reflection on the relationships between ritualization of care and ritualization of nature.

Organizers and venue

This conference is organized by the LAPCOS UPR 7278 research unit and the department of ethnology-anthropology of the Côte d’Azur University, together with the FER-Eurethno network (Council of Europe), the International Society for Ethnology and Folklore (SIEF) and the French Society for Ethnology (SEF).

The conference dates have been specifically chosen to coincide with the AFEA (French Association of Ethnology and Anthropology) Congress, which will take place in Marseille on October 28-30, 2026 (https://afea.hypotheses.org/congres-2026). This context will allow international participants to minimize their carbon footprint if they wish to participate in both events.

The call for paper is now closed. However, SIEF delegates who would like to join the conference as discussant are very welcome. Please address any questions to colloquelapcos2026(at)gmail.com to get the full program when available.

More information: https://www.siefhome.org/wg/ry/events.shtml