We are excited to announce that for Fall 2021–Spring 2022 there will be three distinct opportunities for the Society of Ethnobiology community to interact, share, and expand our networks with in-person and remote options.
Building off of new partnerships, we have organized specific ethnobiology tracks and sessions at two conferences:
- The Royal Anthropological Institute's virtual Anthropology and Conservation Conference. October 25–29, 2021
- Co-hosted with the Forest Peoples Programme, Kew Gardens, Botanical Gardens Conservation International, and other organizations.
- Including SoE-led sessions on: threats to local and Indigenous knowledge systems, ethics and advocacy, collaborative conservation, and conservation informed by archaeology
- Society for Applied Anthropology's in person conference in Salt Lake City. March 22–26, 2022
- Co-hosted with Culture and Agriculture, Political Ecology Society, Society for Medical Anthropology and others.
Third, we are organizing a pre-conference workshop to form inter-society working groups related to inclusion and equity at the
- International Society of Ethnobiology and Society for Economic Botany in person joint meeting in Kingston, Jamaica. May 26–28, 2022
FAQs:
Why have three SoE events instead of a typical meeting?
Because of lingering uncertainties surrounding the pandemic, we did not have a local host submit a proposal for 2022 and there were not sufficient regional hosts to be inclusive of our global membership for 2022. We are taking this as an opportunity to build bridges across academic communities, increase awareness of ethnobiology, and provide in-person and virtual options to provide flexibility in an uncertain time.
What is the benefit?
SoE members will be able to register and participate in any of these three conferences at the reduced rate (but your SoE membership needs to be current). There will be special SoE-led programming to participate in and we think that many of our members will find many shared interests and new connections through co-sponsors like SfAA, Culture and Agriculture, Society of Medical Anthropology, and Political Ecology Society.
How will SoE be together?
We have organized specific tracks and sessions at RAI and SfAA. At the ISE/SEB pre-conference workshops we are specifically seeking to form inter-society ethnobiological working groups and we know that our members will be important participants in those working groups.
Is this going to be the new “normal”?
No! Due to the timing and logistical barriers for 2022, this series of collaborations provided the best opportunities for us and our membership. We are still co-hosting with SEB in Atlanta, 2023, and moving forward with our SoE conferences on an annual basis thereafter. We are looking forward to increasing the use of a hybrid model for our conferences. If you are interested in hosting in the future, please reach out! conference@ethnobiology.org