Network’s raison d’être
The HOLB network originated in 2016 as response to the ever-increasing interest to extend ethnographic research beyond the human. This includes a renewed focus of anthropology and cognate disciplines in the manifold entanglements of humans with other life forms and organisms. Through paying close ethnographic attention to the possibilities and particularities of how humans and other living beings relate within ever-emergent environments, anthropologists in particular can make important contributions towards rethinking established approaches to the social and environmental challenges of our times.
Main goals
The founding convenors established the network to encourage lively ‘multispecies conversations’ among anthropologists across European institutions and research traditions. Building on that initial impulse, the next phase of the network is set to expand on at least three fronts: 1) To encourage dialogue between anthropologists and natural scientists as key interlocutors for the understanding of other organisms’ dynamics and forms of collective organization. 2) To produce grounded discussions on how living organisms are perceived and categorised, as well as “made” and “remade” through their relations to other species. 3) To reflect on the porous limits of ‘life’/ ‘non-life’, and ‘human’ / ‘non-human’, as major analytical challenges of doing ethnography in the age of the Anthropocene.
Network activity
It is our contention that these goals require diverse, creative, curious and collaborative research. The network is open to anthropologists in different career stages and welcomes a diversity of research orientations and interests. Besides arranging themed sessions at the biennial EASA conferences, the network organizes network meetings in the non-biennial conference years, initiating joint publications, workshops, seminars, working groups and other collaborative events. The network also has a mailing list for the sharing and distribution of news and information amongst network members, as well as an online presence. Network membership is not limited to anthropologists but open to anyone with an interest in more-than-human anthropological perspectives (please note being an EASA member is encouraged but not necessary to become a member of the network).
Anyone interested in joining the network, or if you have any ideas or suggestions for events or any queries, please also do not hesitate to get in touch with us at: easaholbnetwork(at)gmail.com
