Vincent Battesti

Legal notices

Vincent Battesti — 2026-10-18T20:09:10Z

Publication Director:
Vincent Battesti

Postal address:
UMR Éco-anthropologie
CNRS | MNHN | Université Paris Cité
Musée de l'Homme
17, place du Trocadéro — 75016 Paris — France
Tel. +33 (0)1 44 05 72 63

Legal notice and general terms of use:

This Site, accessible at vbat.org and also known as “Anthropoasis” (Research in Social Anthropology, Vincent Battesti), is published by Vincent Battesti.
The Site is governed by French law and its official language is French. Use of the Site is subject to these terms and conditions.
This Site is made available for the purposes of providing information and disseminating research, on the principle that publicly funded research should be accessible to the public.
Some articles allow users to post comments. Users remain responsible for the content they submit and undertake not to post any unlawful, insulting, defamatory, hateful, discriminatory or pornographic content, content that infringes the rights of third parties or, more generally, content that is contrary to applicable law.
Vincent Battesti reserves the right to moderate, withhold or remove any comment that he considers contrary to these terms and conditions or manifestly unrelated to the purpose of the Site.
Unless otherwise stated, texts, photographs, illustrations and other content on the Site for which Vincent Battesti holds the rights are made available under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International licence (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0). Content belonging to third parties remains subject to the rights applicable to it. Any use not covered by this licence or by an exception provided for by law requires the prior authorisation of the rights holder.
Any use that infringes intellectual property rights may constitute an infringement within the meaning, in particular, of Articles L. 335-2 and L. 335-3 of the French Intellectual Property Code.

Personal data:

Vincent Battesti is the data controller for personal data collected through this Site.
Data voluntarily provided by users, in particular through forms or requests for information, are used solely to process and respond to their requests. They are neither transferred to third parties nor used for commercial purposes.
The Site uses SPIP's built-in statistics module to measure its audience. This module may use visitors' IP addresses to compile statistics and subsequently retains aggregate data on visits; referring websites may also be recorded.
The hosting provider, OVHcloud, also retains technical connection logs that may include IP addresses and requests made to the Site, in accordance with its own data retention policy.
In accordance with the GDPR and the French Data Protection Act (Loi Informatique et Libertés), individuals have, subject to the conditions laid down by the applicable regulations, rights of access, rectification, erasure, restriction and objection in relation to their personal data. These rights may be exercised by contacting: Cnil vbat.org.
Individuals may also lodge a complaint with the French Data Protection Authority (Commission nationale de l'informatique et des libertés — CNIL).

Links:

The Site may contain links to external websites or resources over which Vincent Battesti has no control. He cannot be held liable for their availability or content, or for any products, services or information offered through them.

Liability:

Vincent Battesti endeavours to provide accurate and up-to-date information on this Site. He cannot, however, be held liable for any errors, omissions or consequences arising from the use of such information.
The content of the Site may be modified at any time without prior notice.
Any material downloaded from the Site is downloaded at the user's own risk. Vincent Battesti cannot be held liable for any direct or indirect loss or damage arising from the use of the Site or its content.

Availability:

The Site may be temporarily unavailable, in particular as a result of maintenance operations, technical modifications or events beyond Vincent Battesti's control.
All or part of the Site may be modified, suspended or discontinued at any time, temporarily or permanently, without Vincent Battesti incurring any liability as a result.

Technical design:

erational
https://www.erational.org

Website hosting:

OVH SAS
2 rue Kellermann
BP 80157
59100 Roubaix
France

Collecting and Curating Biocultural Diversity: How, Why and for Whom?

Vincent Battesti — 2026-09-21T22:00:00Z

Organising Committee for the Second Scientific Conference of the EthnoÉco Thematic Network, Paris, 22 & 23 September 2026

- Organisation of seminars, symposiums etc.

Collecter et mettre en collection la diversité bioculturelle : comment, pourquoi et pour qui ?

Vincent Battesti — 2026-09-21T22:00:00Z

Comité d'organisation des Deuxièmes journées scientifiques du Réseau thématique EthnoÉco, Paris, 22 & 23 septembre 2026

- Organisation de séminaires, colloques etc.

Collecting and Curating Biocultural Diversity: How, Why and for Whom?

Vincent Battesti — 2026-09-19T22:00:00Z

– Collecting and Curating Biocultural Diversity: How, Why and for Whom?

– Original title in French: Collecter et mettre en collection la diversité bioculturelle: comment, pourquoi et pour qui?

Member of the Organising Committee for the Second Scientific Conference of the EthnoÉco Thematic Network (Réseau thématique Ethnoécologie et interactions humains-écosystèmes),
Paris, 22 & 23 September 2026

– Organising Committee:
Vincent Battesti, Nicolas Césard, Esther Katz, Richard Raymond, Matthieu Salpeteur et Hermine Xhauflair

Collections occupy a distinctive place in the history of ethnoecology, which both extends and reconfigures older traditions of research into the relationships between societies and their environments. Practices of collecting and building collections have continually raised scientific, political and ethical issues, from the natural history collections that accompanied the imperialist project initiated in Europe in the sixteenth century—which already documented local uses of the living world—to contemporary reflections on the need to reconsider the place of local populations, their knowledge and their values within museums and collections.

The incorporation of biocultural diversity into collections now presents numerous challenges. The composite nature of these ‘objects'—combining specimens, local knowledge and material culture—is in itself a conundrum for researchers, museum staff and collection managers. Building such collections also raises fundamental questions: why collect, by what methods, and with whom? How should these collections be documented and preserved? How can relationships between the various individuals, populations and institutions involved be rebalanced? Within what ethical, legal and regulatory frameworks should these practices be situated?

The second annual scientific meeting of the EthnoÉco Thematic Network will address these questions through a series of round-table discussions, exchanges of experience and visits to collections.

– Registration: https://framaforms.org/journees-sci...

– Programme:

Programme des Deuxièmes journées scientifiques du Réseau thématique EthnoÉco, Paris, 22 & 23 septembre 2026

Collecter et mettre en collection la diversité bioculturelle : comment, pourquoi et pour qui ?

Vincent Battesti — 2026-09-19T22:00:00Z

– Collecter et mettre en collection la diversité bioculturelle : comment, pourquoi et pour qui ?

Membre du comité d'organisation des Deuxièmes journées scientifiques du Réseau thématique Ethnoécologie et interactions humains-écosystèmes,
Paris, 22 & 23 septembre 2026

– Comité d'organisation :
Vincent Battesti, Nicolas Césard, Esther Katz, Richard Raymond, Matthieu Salpeteur et Hermine Xhauflair

Les collections occupent une place singulière dans l'histoire de l'ethnoécologie, qui prolonge et reconfigure des traditions plus anciennes d'études des relations entre sociétés et milieux. Les pratiques de collecte et de mise en collection n'ont cessé de soulever des enjeux scientifiques, politiques et éthiques, des collections naturalistes accompagnant le projet impérialiste initié en Europe au XVI^e siècle — qui documentait déjà les usages locaux du vivant — aux réflexions contemporaines sur la nécessaire re-considération des populations locales, de leurs savoirs et de leurs valeurs au sein des musées et des collections.

La mise en collection de la diversité bioculturelle pose aujourd'hui de nombreux défis. La nature composite de ces “objets” (mêlant spécimens, savoirs locaux et culture matérielle) constitue en elle-même un casse-tête pour les scientifiques, le personnel des musées et les responsables de collections. Cette mise en collection soulève également des questions fondamentales : pourquoi collecter, selon quelles méthodes et avec qui ? Comment documenter et conserver ces collections ? Comment rééquilibrer les rapports entre les différentes personnes, populations et institutions impliquées ? Dans quels cadres éthiques, juridiques et réglementaires inscrire ces pratiques ?

C'est à l'ensemble de ces questions que les deuxièmes journées scientifiques annuelles du Réseau thématique EthnoÉco entendent se consacrer à travers plusieurs tables rondes, échanges d'expériences et visites de collections.

– Inscription : https://framaforms.org/journees-sci...

– Programme :

Programme des Deuxièmes journées scientifiques du Réseau thématique EthnoÉco, Paris, 22 & 23 septembre 2026

Seeds of diversity: geometric morphometrics as a proxy for varietal structure and identification in date palms of the oasis of al-ʿUlā, Saudi Arabia [temporary title]

2026-09-10T16:42:20Z

– Seeds of diversity: geometric morphometrics as a proxy for varietal structure and identification in date palms of the oasis of al-ʿUlā, Saudi Arabia [temporary title]

– Vincent Bonhomme, Sarah Ivorra, Muneera Almssallem, Randah Alqurashi, Pauline Burger, Jean-Frédéric Terral, Michael Purugganan, Vincent Battesti, Muriel Gros-Balthazard (provisional authors and rank)

– Abstract:

Farmers can maintain substantial diversity in clonally propagated crops by combining vegetative propagation of selected plants with the incorporation of seed-derived individuals. We examined seed phenotypic diversity and its organisation into locally recognised named types in al-ʿUlā, Saudi Arabia.

We analysed seed size and shape in 1,483 seeds from 76 female palms representing 64 named types, compared with 5,248 seeds across North Africa and West Asia, integrating morphometrics with ethnobotanical evidence.

The oasis of al-ʿUlā encompassed 90% of cultivated date palm seed-shape diversity. Presumed clonal cultivars and ethnovarieties showed strong within-name coherence, whereas categories encompassing seed-derived palms were heterogeneous. Lexical groupings reflected phenotypic similarity, common origin, or shared meaning. Discrimination among named types reached over 90% accuracy after excluding heterogeneous seed-derived accessions.

A single oasis can thus maintain most cultivated seed-shape diversity within a biologically heterogeneous local classification system. Combining ethnobotany and morphometrics provides a quantitative framework for analysing how farmers generate, maintain, and organise agrobiodiversity through interconnected biological and cultural processes.

– Article to be submitted in autumn 2026.

➡︎ Work produced under the project al-ʿUlā DPA ❎.

Seeds of diversity : geometric morphometrics as a proxy for varietal structure and identification in date palms of the oasis of al-ʿUlā, Saudi Arabia

2026-09-10T16:32:10Z

– Seeds of diversity : geometric morphometrics as a proxy for varietal structure and identification in date palms of the oasis of al-ʿUlā, Saudi Arabia [titre provisoire]
Que l'on peut traduire par : Les graines de la diversité : la morphométrie géométrique comme indicateur de la structure variétale et de l'identification des palmiers dattiers de l'oasis d'al-ʿUlā, en Arabie saoudite

– Résumé :

Les agriculteurs peuvent maintenir une diversité importante au sein des cultures à multiplication clonale en associant la multiplication végétative de plantes sélectionnées à l'intégration d'individus issus de semis. Nous avons étudié la diversité phénotypique des graines et son organisation en types nommés reconnus localement à al-ʿUlā, en Arabie saoudite.

Nous avons analysé la taille et la forme de 1 483 graines provenant de 76 palmiers femelles représentant 64 types nommés, en les comparant à 5 248 graines d'Afrique du Nord et d'Asie occidentale et en croisant données morphométriques et ethnobotaniques.

Al-ʿUlā présentait 90% de la diversité de forme des graines observée chez les dattiers cultivés. Les cultivars présumés clonaux et les ethnovariétés montraient une forte cohérence morphologique au sein de chaque type nommé, tandis que les catégories regroupant des palmiers issus de semis étaient hétérogènes. Les regroupements lexicaux reflétaient une similitude phénotypique, une origine commune ou une proximité sémantique. La classification des types nommés atteignait une exactitude de plus de 90% après exclusion des accessions hétérogènes issues de semis.

Une seule oasis peut ainsi maintenir l'essentiel de la diversité de forme des graines des dattiers cultivés, au sein d'un système local de classification biologiquement hétérogène. L'association de l'ethnobotanique et de la morphométrie fournit un cadre quantitatif pour analyser comment les agriculteurs génèrent, maintiennent et organisent l'agrobiodiversité par des processus biologiques et culturels interdépendants.

– Article à soumettre à l'automne 2026.

➡︎ Travail réalisé dans le cadre du projet al-ʿUlā DPA ❎.

A New Visual Identity for the Revue d'ethnoécologie

Vincent Battesti — 2026-09-10T15:41:29Z

The Revue d'ethnoécologie (journal) is introducing a new visual identity. Building on more than a century of publishing history, the journal continues to examine the relationships between societies and their environments, along with the knowledge and practices that shape them. This new design brings renewed visibility to research addressing questions of pressing contemporary importance: how humans inhabit the Earth and the conditions that sustain its habitability.

– Former banner:

– Former vignette:

– New banner:

– New vignette:

Nouvelle identité graphique de la Revue d'ethnoécologie

Vincent Battesti — 2026-09-10T15:35:00Z

La Revue d'ethnoécologie renouvelle son identité graphique. Héritière d'une histoire éditoriale de plus d'un siècle, elle poursuit l'étude des relations entre les sociétés et leurs environnements, des savoirs et des pratiques qui les façonnent. Cette nouvelle présentation donne une visibilité renouvelée à des recherches qui éclairent des questions aujourd'hui centrales : les manières d'habiter la Terre et les conditions de son habitabilité.

– Ancien bandeau :

– Ancienne vignette :

– Nouveau bandeau :

– Nouvelle vignette :

A typology of citrus farming systems in the oasis of al-ʿUlā, Saudi Arabia: implications for agroecological transition [temporary title]

2026-09-09T14:34:02Z

– A typology of citrus farming systems in the oasis of al-ʿUlā, Saudi Arabia: implications for agroecological transition [temporary title]
– Maxime de Saint Roman, Léo Marty, Jeanne Bouvard, Bénédicte Bachès, Michel Bachès, Emmanuel Bloquel, Vincent Battesti, Yann Froelicher, Laurent Julhia (provisional authors and rank)

This article is led by Maxime de Saint Roman and Léo Marty and brings together two research projects focused on the same oasis: al-ʿUlā AS and High Value Citrus for al-ʿUlā.

– Abstract:

Climate change and increasing pressure on water resources challenge the sustainability of citrus production in arid regions. Oasis agroecosystems have historically addressed environmental constraints through social organization, crop diversification, water management, and complementary forms of production. However, agricultural modernization and market-oriented development have transformed oasis regions, including al-ʿUlā (Saudi Arabia), reshaping resource management, labor organization, and the circulation of agricultural knowledge. We hypothesized that the diversity of citrus farming systems reflects adaptation strategies to environmental constraints, resource availability, and market opportunities, together with distinct knowledge systems and historical trajectories.

We conducted in situ semi-structured interviews and ethnographic observations on 38 farms purposively selected to capture variation in social group affiliations, establishment periods, and citrus planting configurations (under date palms, in monoculture, or both). Data covered farm organization, citrus management practices, commercialization strategies, knowledge sources, and sociotechnical characteristics. Multiple correspondence analysis followed by hierarchical clustering on principal components established a typology of citrus farming systems.

Four types were identified. Two clusters represent diversified oasis systems with citrus cultivated under date palms for social functions through gift exchange or emerging tourism-related purposes. Two monoculture clusters established through agricultural modernization differ in technical investment and fruit commercialization. Across these systems, agronomic practices are shaped by hybrid knowledge configurations combining expertise inherited within Sedentary families, experiential learning among Bedouin farmers, and technical knowledge contributed by foreign agricultural workers and advisers. These configurations shape management decisions and farming trajectories.

This first typology of citrus farming systems in al-ʿUlā shows how sociotechnical analysis can identify differentiated pathways toward agroecological transition in oasis environments. Rather than successive stages along a modernization gradient, the systems reflect distinct configurations of social organization, knowledge, agronomic practices, and economic objectives. Transition pathways could combine crop diversity and multifunctionality in diversified oasis systems with selected technical practices from specialized farms.

– Article to be submitted in autumn 2026.

➡︎ Work produced under the project al-ʿUlā AS ❎.