Ways to deal with reactive agents and menaced futures.
Ritual was a central topic for anthropology at its start. A property often retained as a basic
definition of a ritual is the transformative effect it seeks (Smith 2000). To be acknowledged as
a ritual, a practice must aspire to change our daily relations. Indeed, rituals often intervene when
a reevaluation of existing social relations is essential (Houseman 2012). Most importantly,
rituals are particularly suitable for grasping, representing, and eventually confronting
uncertainty. We call for papers focusing on rituals as a modality of action through which climate
and ecological crisis are experienced and managed. In doing so, we aim to create a convergence
of two debates: on (i) the distinctive efficacy of ritual action, and (ii) the Anthropocene. Our
goal is to reinvigorate these two fields through their cross-fertilisation. With “rituals” we refer
to a wide range of practices, including traditional reiterated practices and contemporary
performances or creations insofar as they are animated by a transformative aim (Houseman
2010).
Submission of proposals
A long abstract (1000 words) and short author biography (100 words) should be submitted to
Federica Toldo (federica.toldo@gmail.com) and Giovanna Capponi
(giovanna.capponi@gmail.com)
Schedule for authors
Deadline for submission of the long abstracts is October 30, 2025.
Selection of the abstracts will be announced to the authors November 15, 2025.
Deadline for paper (7000 words) is February 15, 2026.