iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

FORAGENCY @foragency.bsky.social · 21/09/2026

We start this new academic year with a new publication 🤓 "An Interspecies Contact Zone" studies locust invasions in interwar Burundi as a point of friction and encounter between Burundian peasants and colonial administrators. Available now in Environment & History: tinyurl.com/46yk54h2

020

FORAGENCY @foragency.bsky.social · 20/04/2026

On Thursday 23/04, the exhibition "The Foragers", curated by Gosie Vervloesem, will open at Pilar, on the VUB campus. It will showcase the work of young, emerging artists engaging beyond the human. Come and have a look! tinyurl.com/3meuz7jd

021

FORAGENCY @foragency.bsky.social · 02/04/2026

The second season of our podcast 'Foraging' is on. We will shed light on artists taking part to the exhibition "The Foragers", which will open on 23 April at Pilar. Listen here to the first episode: "A Forest that Answers Back" 🌱 👇 ercforagency.eu/index.php/20...

ercforagency.eu

Foraging Episode 2.01. Nele Möller and photographer Tim Theo Deceuninck on A forest that answers back – FORAGENCY

000

FORAGENCY @foragency.bsky.social · 02/03/2026

We are thrilled to welcome our colleagues J-M. Nduwayo, M. Nduwayezu, V. Nseyingumva & A. Havyarimana for one month @shoc-vub.bsky.social - objective: furthering our collaboration and writing three joint papers! 💪

010

FORAGENCY @foragency.bsky.social · 31/01/2026

The Foragers #4: film screening Neptune Frost (2021), 11 Feb. 2026, 7 PM, Cinema RITCS, Brussels tinyurl.com/3jb9ubte

100

FORAGENCY @foragency.bsky.social · 17/12/2025

We finish 2025 in beauty with the publication of PhD candidate Thijs Costers' first article 🥳 "Banana beer in Belgian Burundi: a social metabolist history of intoxication (1916–1962)" is now available in OA in the Journal of Eastern African Studies tinyurl.com/2xdnnjnd

tinyurl.com

Banana beer in Belgian Burundi: a social metabolist history of intoxication (1916–1962)

This paper traces the ways in which colonisation transformed banana beer in Burundi. Through the framework of energy circulations, inspired by eco-Marxists such as Fischer-Kowalski, it analyses how...

010

FORAGENCY @foragency.bsky.social · 29/10/2025

The Foragers #2: Preview Screening 'Summer Grass, Winter Worm', of Matjaz Pinter, BoZar, Brussels, 12 Nov. 7 PM. Details and registration here: tinyurl.com/3ntntw5b

101

FORAGENCY @foragency.bsky.social · 08/10/2025

A view from Poklujka in Slovenia, where Alice Vittoria has attended the 'Foraging Futures' symposium organised by the 'Foraging at the edges of capitalism' team. More info on thisgreat project here: foraging.work

000

FORAGENCY @foragency.bsky.social · 22/09/2025

The Foragers #1: Film screening, Up on the Mountain (dir. O. Mathon & M. Reis, 2022). Cinema RITCS, Brussels 21 Sept, 7 PM. followed by a discussion with O. Mathon and FORAGENCY members B. Henriet & A. Vittoria. Synopsis of the doc 👇

100

FORAGENCY @foragency.bsky.social · 22/09/2025

We are thrilled to officially launch "The Foragers: Engagements Beyond the Human", an arts-sciences crossover which will run from October 25 until late 27 tinyurl.com/3xkbcvmb

100

FORAGENCY @foragency.bsky.social · 17/06/2025

FORAGENCY's first publication is out! In "Weaving the Future", Etienne Gontard studies duikers hides trade in French Equatorial Africa from a multispecies vantage point. Available in print and in OA tinyurl.com/3vmsmt6m

tinyurl.com

Out now: “Weaving the Future”, FORAGENCY’s first publication – FORAGENCY

100

FORAGENCY @foragency.bsky.social · 27/05/2025

The garden of the National Archives of the R. of Congo 🌱 The FORAGENCY historians now plough through the records of the Gouvernement Général of French Equatorial Africa. So far, stories arose on food shortages, intoxication along the railway and tensions in the logging industry, more soon!

030

FORAGENCY @foragency.bsky.social · 22/04/2025

Alice Vittoria, FORAGENCY's postdoc anthropologist working on plants/humans relations in care and healing, has just started a 2 1/2 months fieldwork in the North of the Republic of Congo. Looking forward to sharing her insights and findings in the coming months!

140

FORAGENCY @foragency.bsky.social · 24/03/2025

Basel on a sunny-ish, early Spring morning - thank you so much to the colleagues of Universität Basel for the invitation to take part to the African History seminar, very grateful for their thought provoking questions and comments!

000

FORAGENCY @foragency.bsky.social · 12/02/2025

Welcome to Bsky to our great colleagues of @cattlefrontiers.bsky.social a fascinating #ERCStG on cattle and commodity frontiers in sub-Saharan Africa and Madagascar. Do not hesitate to follow them!

020

FORAGENCY @foragency.bsky.social · 10/02/2025

On 20 Feb (10-12 AM CET) Benoît Henriet will present his ongoing research on locust invasions in colonial Burundi in UGent's lecture series in African and global history. Very grateful to @samuelcoghe.bsky.social and to our wonderful colleagues from UGent for the kind invitation!

010

Reposted by FORAGENCY

SHOC VUB @shoc-vub.bsky.social · 28/01/2025

We are delighted to announce that SHOC colleague Benoît Henriet has been appointed as the new chairholder for the Chair Casterman-Hamers: History and Philosophy of Sciences (2025-2027)! We look forward to communicating about the programme linked to this! shoc.research.vub.be/en/shoc-coll...

shoc.research.vub.be

SHOC colleague Benoît Henriet appointed as chairholder of the Chair

From 2025-2027, Benoît Henriet, Associate Professor of History at VUB and member of our research group SHOC, has been appointed as the new chairholder for the Chair Casterman-Hamers: History and

031

FORAGENCY @foragency.bsky.social · 29/01/2025

The FORAGENCY team is attending the 6th Congo Research Network Conference, hosted by the Africa Institute in Sharjah. You can follow the presentations online here: www.theafricainstitute.org/institute-pr...

theafricainstitute.org

Congolese Horizons: Weaving Temporalities in Congo Studies - theafricainstitute

African Institute

120

FORAGENCY @foragency.bsky.social · 23/01/2025

We are thrilled to welcome Prof. Tim Ingold on 3 March, for a lecture titled "Manifesto for a New Humanism" + a discussion with our very own Alice Vittoria! Attendance is free, but registration mandatory, feel free to come and spread the word! @shoc-vub.bsky.social tinyurl.com/m2jhdh3h

tinyurl.com

Lecture by Prof. dr. Tim Ingold: Manifesto for a New Humanism, VUB, 3 March 2025, 6-8 PM – FORAGENCY

011

FORAGENCY @foragency.bsky.social · 17/12/2024

The final episode of Foraging's first season is out! Tune it to listen to Iva Pesa talking about pollution, belonging in toxic places, and her exciting ERC project, AFREXTRACT open.spotify.com/episode/2sBg...

open.spotify.com

Episode 1.04 Iva Peša on the histories of pollution

Foraging: a podcast in environmental humanities · Episode

120

FORAGENCY @foragency.bsky.social · 10/12/2024

The 3rd episode of Foraging is out! Tune in to listen to anthropologist Emelien Devos talk about elephant trails, the challenges of multispecies anthropology and the meanings of « healthiness » in Tanzania open.spotify.com/episode/0CoB...

open.spotify.com

Foraging Episode 1.03 Emelien Devos on multispecies anthropology

021

FORAGENCY @foragency.bsky.social · 02/12/2024

The second episode of 'Foraging' is out! Tune in to listen to Prof. Kwame Edwin Otu talk about (e-)waste, queerness, positionality and the potential for personal emancipation in ethnography ercforagency.eu/index.php/20...

ercforagency.eu

Foraging episode 1.02 Kwame Edwin Otu on the queerness of waste – FORAGENCY

021

FORAGENCY @foragency.bsky.social · 02/12/2024

Our research group @shoc-vub.bsky.social (Social History of Capitalism) has just joined BlueSky 🤗. You can follow us for research on capitalism in the longue durée and its manifold impacts on humans, non-humans, social structures, bodies and infrastructures

000

FORAGENCY @foragency.bsky.social · 25/11/2024

The first episode of our podcast is out! Tune in to listen to Diogo Cabral on MTH history, leafcutting ants in the Amazon, the activist nature of #envhist and on the edited volume MTH histories of Latin America and the Carribbean ercforagency.eu/index.php/20...

ercforagency-podcasts.castos.com

Episode 1.01. Diogo De Carvhalo Cabral on history beyond the human

For the first episode of Foraging, we hosted Prof. Diogo de Carvhalo Cabral, of Trinity College Dublin. Diogo is a fascinating voice in more-than-human history. His groundbreaking research on the...

131

FORAGENCY @foragency.bsky.social · 19/11/2024

We are thrilled to announce the publication of the first season of "Foraging. A podcast in Environmental Humanities" 🌱: 4 in-depth interviews with historians and anthropologists on their work, methods, inspirations ercforagency.eu/index.php/20...

ercforagency.eu

Introducing Foraging: a podcast in environmental humanities – FORAGENCY

121

FORAGENCY @foragency.bsky.social · 18/11/2024

The call for individual papers for #ECAS2025 is now open! Do not hesitate to submit your proposal for the two panels co-organised by FORAGENCY team members 👇 www.ecasconference.org/2025/

ecasconference.org

Home - ECAS 2025

110

FORAGENCY @foragency.bsky.social · 14/11/2024

A year into the project, FORAGENCY has welcomed three new team members, you can get to know them better here: ercforagency.eu/index.php/20...

ercforagency.eu

FORAGENCY welcomes new team members – FORAGENCY

000

FORAGENCY @foragency.bsky.social · 21/10/2024

We are now halfway in our second Burundian fieldwork. Here is a quick recap of what we did so far 👇

110

FORAGENCY @foragency.bsky.social · 06/10/2024

The FORAGENCY team is back in the field - 4 weeks of data collection in Burundi. Updates coming soon!

010

FORAGENCY @foragency.bsky.social · 03/10/2024

We recently welcomed the teams of 4 other #ERCStG in #envhum & #Africanstudies. It was a great opportunity to get to know each other's work better, and to discuss in depth our sources, methods & objectives. Please find below a short intro to those projects ⬇️

100

FORAGENCY @foragency.bsky.social · 03/09/2024

We start the new academic year with our 4th research Note, by PhD candidate Etienne Gontard. It is a beautiful reflection on an awkward, yet informative encounter in the field. Enjoy! 🤓 ercforagency.eu/index.php/20...

ercforagency.eu

Research Note #4: Fieldwork stories (Busekera, May 26th, 2024), by Etienne Gontard – FORAGENCY

010

FORAGENCY @foragency.bsky.social · 12/07/2024

It was a true honour to present FORAGENCY to economic history students from Gakushuin university in Tokyo, and a great opportunity to discuss research methods and approaches with prof. Shinobu Majima

010

FORAGENCY @foragency.bsky.social · 26/06/2024

Two new research notes have been posted on the FORAGENCY website: (1) "Inferring Intent", by our student-intern Paul de Vos, regards his archival enquiries about chieftainship, migration and colonialism in the territory of Isangi in the former Belgian Congo) ercforagency.eu/index.php/20...

ercforagency.eu

Research Note #2: Inferring Intent: Navigating Complex Colonial Networks in the Northern Congo Basin, by Paul de Vos – FORAGENCY

100

FORAGENCY @foragency.bsky.social · 21/06/2024

Very lucky to have hosted the wonderful Nancy Rose Hunt for a masterclass with PhD students in Central African history. We discussed epistemic challenges, inspirations, archives and fieldwork - such informal discussions are a fantastic source of inspiration!

010

FORAGENCY @foragency.bsky.social · 25/05/2024

The FORAGENCY team is currently in Burundi for two weeks of preparatory fieldwork. Here is a quick recap of our early findings 1/4 👇

110

FORAGENCY @foragency.bsky.social · 15/05/2024

On 13 June (4-6 PM), FORAGENCY and the Atelier Genre(s) et Sexualité(s) from ULB will host Pr. Kwame E. Otu for a lecture on 'Colonial Inhalations: E-waste work and Wastemen in Necropolitical Ghana'. Info and registration: tinyurl.com/mrxpdujb

tinyurl.com

Public lecture: Prof. dr. Kwame Edwin Otu – Colonial Inhalations: E-waste work and Wastemen in Necropolitical Ghana – FORAGENCY

000

FORAGENCY @foragency.bsky.social · 13/05/2024

On 24 June, the VUB will host an exceptional lecture by Prof. dr. Kwame Appiah. Join us if you happen to be in Brussels, attendance is free but registration is mandatory, more info here: clic.research.vub.be/speaking-of-...

clic.research.vub.be

"Speaking of Identity" - Guest Lecture by Kwame Anthony Appiah (NYU)

24 June 2024, 4 p.m., VUB Building I, Room I.0.01 A lecture in the series “Ties that Bind Us: Transcultural Perspectives on Social Forms”

001

FORAGENCY @foragency.bsky.social · 30/04/2024

We are looking for a postdoc working on the history of capitalism at large. It's a great opportunity to join a great team and to develop your own research project within a broad topic. Historians of empires/environment/colonialism/Africa are more than welcome to apply! tinyurl.com/4wdch3cp

tinyurl.com

POSTDOCTORAL RESEARCHER IN SOCIAL AND ECONOMIC HISTORY (13TH-20TH

Category: Academic Staff & Researchers POSITION DESCRIPTION

001

FORAGENCY @foragency.bsky.social · 24/04/2024

CFP 6th Congo Research Network Conference "Congolese Horizons: Weaving Temporalities in Congo Studies", 29-31 Jan 2025, The Africa Institute, Sharjah (UAE) Deadline call 15 June 24 Please spread the word, and do not hesitate to apply! tinyurl.com/2s38jej3

tinyurl.com

CFP CRN 2025 - Google Drive

000

FORAGENCY @foragency.bsky.social · 17/04/2024

Our second reading group was dedicated to @maxliboiron.bsky.social's Pollution is Colonialism. We discussed Liboiron's definition of settler colonialism, their thought-provoking methodological suggestions & what we could infer from them when researching extractive colonies in Central Africa

000

FORAGENCY @foragency.bsky.social · 27/03/2024

Today at 2 PM Dublin time, we will be presenting FORAGENCY at the seminar of the Environmental Humanities research group of Trinity College. It will also be an opportunity to present our first preliminary findings on Human/Acridian temporalities in colonial Burundi. You can DM us for the Zoom link!

010

FORAGENCY @foragency.bsky.social · 01/03/2024

Throughout the project, we will publish research notes by team members and guest scholars. These short pieces offer reflections on the practice of environmental humanities. Research note #1, by Prof. Rosa Vieira, focuses on palm wine in the Mayombe forest (DR Congo) tinyurl.com/5n7bhk6c

010

FORAGENCY @foragency.bsky.social · 28/02/2024

We are very grateful for the large turnout and thought-provoking questions we received during our inaugural event. 🙏 FORAGENCY will soon enter another stage, with new team members, research methods and questions. Stay tuned!

011

FORAGENCY @foragency.bsky.social · 12/02/2024

On Feb 26 at 5 pm, the FORAGENCY team will give an inaugural lecture on the VUB campus in Brussels, followed by a Q&A and a drink. Do not hesitate to join us! Registrations here ➡️ tinyurl.com/2spdk88w

010

FORAGENCY @foragency.bsky.social · 29/01/2024

Samples of locust wings collected in the mandate territory of Urundi in September 1939. Source: State Archives of Belgium, African Archives, BUR (294)

121

FORAGENCY @foragency.bsky.social · 22/01/2024

For the project’s first reading group, we discussed @brdemuth.bsky.social’s wonderful Floating Coast, more specifically how an environmental history of Boreal regions could inspire new perspectives on the pasts of tropical zones

4163

FORAGENCY @foragency.bsky.social · 12/01/2024

Recorded yesterday the first episode of our upcoming podcast 🤩 more news to come!

010

FORAGENCY @foragency.bsky.social · 20/12/2023

As we prepare to take a break in our data collection campaign during the winter holidays, it might be a good moment to briefly present the FORAGENCY research method ⬇️

100