Eleanor J. Sterling, a weaver of connections
Tracks
Tully 3
| Wednesday, July 29, 2026 |
| 1:30 PM - 1:45 PM |
Speaker
Dr Sophie Caillon
Research Director
CNRS
Eleanor J. Sterling, a weaver of connections
ISE Congress 2026 Abstract
This talk aims to reflect on our encounters with the late Eleanor J. Sterling (1960-2023) and revisit some of our deepest convictions about what science ought to be: an act of care—for one another and for the planet we share. How did she succeed in shaping such an ethical, generous, and profoundly humane scientific practice? At the core of her research and actions was a remarkable humility that infused every idea she developed and every collaboration she nurtured.
Collective thinking. Eleanor consistently privileged questions over assertions. Throughout her career, she fostered collective reflection, weaving intellectual and personal connections among the researchers around her. She built bridges between people not only through their scientific interests, but also through their relationships to place and to other living beings.
Interdisciplinarity. Early on, she recognized that knowledge gains depth and relevance when informed by diverse disciplinary perspectives. Her projects systematically brought together scholars from ecology, conservation biology, anthropology, ethnobiology, and geography, united around shared research questions.
Transdisciplinarity. For Eleanor, academia could not and should not function as a closed system. She persistently sought to involve practitioners—activists, artists, farmers, reindeer herders, and countless others—whose perspectives she saw as essential catalysts for innovative, situated, and socially grounded thinking.
Plurilingualism. To communicate with precision and respect, Eleanor learned several languages and showed exceptional patience toward non-English speakers. She openly critiqued the hegemonic position of English in scientific production and advocated for linguistic diversity as a condition for epistemic justice.
Inclusion. Eleanor was deeply attentive to those who remained invisible within institutional structures, especially Indigenous women, whom she valued as collaborators and often supported as doctoral mentees.
In this presentation, we—scholars and activists from multiple disciplines and countries—will illustrate these dimensions by sharing our personal and collective experiences working with Eleanor J. Sterling.
Collective thinking. Eleanor consistently privileged questions over assertions. Throughout her career, she fostered collective reflection, weaving intellectual and personal connections among the researchers around her. She built bridges between people not only through their scientific interests, but also through their relationships to place and to other living beings.
Interdisciplinarity. Early on, she recognized that knowledge gains depth and relevance when informed by diverse disciplinary perspectives. Her projects systematically brought together scholars from ecology, conservation biology, anthropology, ethnobiology, and geography, united around shared research questions.
Transdisciplinarity. For Eleanor, academia could not and should not function as a closed system. She persistently sought to involve practitioners—activists, artists, farmers, reindeer herders, and countless others—whose perspectives she saw as essential catalysts for innovative, situated, and socially grounded thinking.
Plurilingualism. To communicate with precision and respect, Eleanor learned several languages and showed exceptional patience toward non-English speakers. She openly critiqued the hegemonic position of English in scientific production and advocated for linguistic diversity as a condition for epistemic justice.
Inclusion. Eleanor was deeply attentive to those who remained invisible within institutional structures, especially Indigenous women, whom she valued as collaborators and often supported as doctoral mentees.
In this presentation, we—scholars and activists from multiple disciplines and countries—will illustrate these dimensions by sharing our personal and collective experiences working with Eleanor J. Sterling.
Biography
I am an ethnoecologist studying how farmers relate to their plants, land, and communities. I first wanted to understand how and why farmers manage with a diversity of varieties and species. I have in particular studied the ways in which plants and associated knowledge circulate using social network analysis. Recently, my aim is to identify the values of biocultural well-being among farmers in Oceania and France (winegrowers).
