SEM BioCriticism 28 mars – Neglected Biodiversity in Kitchens and Fictions
La prochaine séance du wébinaire BioCriticism se tiendra le vendredi 28 mars à 14h, sur la thématique « Biodiversity and Neglect ». Les deux intervenants aborderont ce thème depuis des perspectives écologiques et littéraires.
Pour obtenir un lien zoom et suivre à distance, contacter: liliane.campos@sorbonne-nouvelle.fr
28th of March 2025, 2 pm CET
Neglected biodiversity in kitchens and fictions
(shared BioCriticism / BioYUFE webinar)
Prof. Marko Rohlfs (Chemical Ecology, Bremen University), “Caring mothers: the symbiotic relationship between insects and microbes in nurturing their young – in your kitchen!”
Insects often rely on microbes to care for their young and show a remarkable family life. Fruit flies use gut bacteria and yeast fungi to enrich their offspring’s nutrition, while earwigs employ microbes to protect their eggs from pathogens. This talk uncovers these surprising insect-microbe partnerships, many happening right in our kitchens. So, whenever you chase away or even kill a fly or an earwig, it might be a caring mother.
Teun Joshua Brandt (Literature and Culture, University of Groningen), “Save the Unseen!? Microbial Tricksters in Science Fictions”
Despite growing concerns about microbial biodiversity loss and its cascading consequences of coextinction, the ‘unseen majority’ remains understudied and underrepresented, creating a significant knowledge gap in public awareness. This talk turns to popular science fiction narratives that feature microbial worlds, exploring how they render the uncharismatic affectively resonant. In works such as Joan Slonczewski’s The Children Star, Frank Schätzing’s The Swarm, or Jeff Vandermeer’s Southern Reach Series, the standardized heroic quest of the truth-seeking scientist is met with microbial ‘trickster figures,’ playfully weirding the rigid ontologies by which we live and make sense of our worlds. This talk argues that trickster storytelling is an effective way to engage wider audiences without romanticizing or anthropomorphizing the microbial, turning the traditional tree of knowledge upside down.
BioCriticism is organised by Liliane Campos with the support of PRISMES EA4398 and the Institut Universitaire de France. For information and zoom links, please contact liliane.campos@sorbonne-nouvelle.fr or check the BioCriticism website.
OpenEdition vous propose de citer ce billet de la manière suivante :
Bénédicte Meillon (18 mars 2025). SEM BioCriticism 28 mars – Neglected Biodiversity in Kitchens and Fictions. Écopoétique. Consulté le 24 avril 2025 à l’adresse https://doi.org/10.58079/13hvq