The CAS project ‘Arctic Domestication in the Era of the Anthropocene’ challenges domesticaton as a foundational narrative of human civilization. Drawing on interdisciplinary scholarship, and engaging landscape engagements in/of the Arctic, as well as in other places that are marginalised through the hegemonic narratives of the Neolithic Revolution, we seek to transcend some basic distinctions that conventional models of domestication brought about. Questioning the notion of the domus, engaging the idea of more-than human sociality, and challenging the distinctions between natural history and cultural history, we explore alternative models and narratives of relational practices that can sustain human life on our planet.

In this opening conference to the CAS-project, participants will share their insights and reflections on domestication, drawing on archeology, science studies, history and anthropology. We will think domestication through the lenses of specific empirical cases including dogs in Siberia, forests in Tuscany, apple orchards in Hardanger and volcanic eruptions in Iceland. We will consider how people are situated in their landscape through relations with, for example, Hokkaido salmon, South African trout, Hawawir pastoral herds and Sámi sacrificial stones.

The conference is free and open for all.

Lunch will be served.