LUMEN and SCALA Spring 2025: A Meeting of Knowledge Between Anthropology and Indigenous Wisdom

The SCALA Spring Seminar 2025, held on March 7, 2025 and organized by the Laboratory of Social and Cultural Anthropology (SCALa) in collaboration with the LUMEN project in Ravenna, provided a moment of intense reflection and interdisciplinary exchange. Professor Olga Ulturgasheva’s keynote lecture, titled "On More-Than-Human Dimension of Research Collaborations and Nyamnin", sparked a fundamental debate on the need to integrate Western scientific and Indigenous knowledge to tackle climate challenges affecting the Arctic regions and beyond.

During her lecture, Professor Ulturgasheva illustrated how the Eveni concept of nyamnin could serve as a model for symmetrical collaboration between Indigenous communities and academia. The deep relationship between the Eveni people of Siberia and the reindeer they herd was at the heart of the discussion, offering a concrete example of how traditional knowledge can contribute to environmental and social sustainability.

A crucial point of the seminar was the reflection on epistemic racism, which has historically marginalized Indigenous knowledge, relegating it to a subordinate position compared to Western scientific paradigms. Professor Ulturgasheva emphasized the importance of overcoming this hierarchical vision and promoting a research approach that recognizes the value of Indigenous knowledge, fostering true epistemological reciprocity.

The LUMEN project, thanks to the commitment of scholars such as Vanessa Grotti and Marc Brightman, continues to serve as a laboratory of dialogue between disciplines, rooted in the conviction that only through an inclusive and collaborative approach can we effectively address the global challenges of our time.