Paper long abstract:

Hunting is among the classic anthropological subjects and has typically been analysed within the empirical and conceptual frame of hunter-gatherer societies. However, the contemporary state of the art has significant blind spots. Certain regions are emphasised over others, for instance, Africa compared to Europe. Equally important, the study of subsistence hunting is privileged over an array of hunting subjects, whether recreational pastimes, wildlife management, bushmeat industry, or other emerging practices and practitioners within shifting political, economic, and ecological contexts. Ironically, European ethnology has offered a limited contribution to fill the existing knowledge gaps, leaving the cluster of Europe’s hunting nature-cultures (together perhaps with those of ‘non-native’ North America) as the least studied and understood. This roundtable’s objective is to discuss the reasons behind the omission and explore new perspectives by brainstorming about how to bring various forms of hunting, trapping and other aspects of wild animal-human relations across Europe into the disciplines’ spotlight.