Foraging Futures: Human-Environment Relations in a Changing World

October 3–7, 2025 | Triglav National Park, Slovenia

Introduction

This symposium explores the evolving practices of foraging, scavenging, and gleaning in times of economic and environmental uncertainty. While foraging is often associated with wild foods – mushrooms, herbs, and edible plants – it also extends to discarded materials, overlooked urban resources, and reclaimed goods. Across the world, these practices sustain livelihoods, shape alternative economies, and challenge dominant systems of production and consumption.

Bringing together practitioners, scholars, and artists, this symposium highlights participatory, field-based approaches that provide direct insights into the cultural, social, and ecological dimensions of foraging. Alongside these perspectives, we welcome contributions from visual anthropology, sensory ethnography, and environmental humanities that examine foraging within broader economic and ecological contexts. Through this interdisciplinary exchange, the symposium seeks to expand our understanding of foraging – not just as an economic necessity, but as a form of knowledge, adaptation, and creative engagement with a changing world.

The symposium is organised by the Foraging Research group at Rachel Carson Center at Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München and supported by the ERC-Foraging at the Edge of Capitalism project.

Call for Contributions

To accommodate a wide range of perspectives, the symposium welcomes diverse formats, including academic presentations, audio-visual works, workshops, and thematic discussions that explore foraging as both a practice and a subject of research.

Topics of interest include, but are not limited to:

Beyond academic discussions, the symposium seeks to build a collaborative network that supports ongoing research, creative engagement, and sustained conversations on foraging as both a practice and a way of rethinking human-environment relationships.

Location and Schedule

The symposium will take place from October 3rd to 7th, 2025, in Triglav National Park, Slovenia – a region renowned for mushroom foraging and mountain herb collecting. The natural setting offers opportunities for outdoor sessions and hands-on activities, complementing the symposium’s themes.

Accommodation and meals will be provided for all participants. A limited number of travel grants will be available. Priority will be given to those without access to travel funding.

With an intimate gathering of 20 participants, the conference will foster in-depth discussions and exchange, creating a space for both academic and experiential engagement.

The location is accessible by car, and the accommodation is within a pine forest. We are committed to making the symposium inclusive and accessible to participants with disabilities. If you have specific accessibility needs, please contact the organising team.

Submission Guidelines

Please submit a proposal (max. 300 words) outlining your contribution, along with a short bio (max. 150 words).

For media-based work, workshops, or thematic discussions, please include details on the topic, format, and length of your presentation.

The symposium will be on-site only; remote or online participation is not possible. Please indicate your location and where you would travel from in your submission.

Contact

📩 Emilia Tsutsumi – emiliatsutsumi@gmail.com
📩 Matjaž Pinter – matjaz.pinter@gmail.com

We look forward to your contributions!