Lors du séminaire ICIREWARD-SHS organisé par l’UMR GEAU en partenariat avec le Centre Unesco de l’Eau de Montpellier ICIREWARD, le jeudi 26 mars 2026 de 10h à 12h30 , le thème abordé a été le suivant : « Re-politiser l'écologie des cours dans une perspective more-than-human".
Plusieurs intervenants :
o From Biological Infrastructures to Invasive Species: A More-than-Human Story of Chinese Carp in Southeast Europe
Stefan Dorondel - The Institute for Southeast European Studies of the Romanian Academy. Graduate School of History, University of Bucharest
In 1959, a Romanian ichthyologist introduced the first 100 larvae of Ctenopharyngodon idella (commonly known as grass carp) from Moscow as a biological solution for managing aquatic ecosystems. This species was chosen to help control the proliferation of watergrass in ponds and lakes that had been transformed into artificial fisheries by the socialist government after 1949. Viewed as a cost-effective method for managing aquatic vegetation, it aimed to enhance the production of valuable indigenous species such as carp, catfish, and pike. By 1962, over half a million additional specimens of Ctenopharyngodon idella, alongside Hypophthalmichthys molitrix (silver carp) and Hypophthalmichthys nobilis (bighead carp), were sourced from the Yangtze River in China, driven by a political-economic strategy to expand Romania's fish food industry. These Asian carp species exhibited rapid growth rates and thrived on a diet of grass, phytoplankton, and zooplankton, necessitating the establishment of new infrastructures and the accumulation of scientific knowledge. This evolution led to the opening of additional research facilities and academic positions aimed at integrating these affordable fish into the Romanian diet, potentially displacing traditional species from the Danube.Following the radical economic transformations in Romania after the fall of socialism, including deregulation and the privatization of agriculture and fisheries, these Asian carp escaped into the Danube, becoming an invasive species.
This presentation explores broader theoretical questions surrounding the translocation of species for economic purposes (Seddon, Strauss, and Innes, 2012) and the implications for what has been termed “invasive ecologies” (Frawley and McCalman, 2014). Utilizing an environmental history framework alongside a science and technology studies (STS) perspective, I will critically examine these dynamics, emphasizing the concept of “more-than-human infrastructure.” This notion is significant as it intertwines the “more-than-human”—a term often critiqued for depoliticizing social life and neglecting social and economic inequalities—with “infrastructure,” which can represent a deeply biopolitical project in certain contexts (Poerting, 2023).
o Restaurer l’Auzon pour ses barbeaux et ses riverains ? Prendre le temps de renouer les relations plus qu’humaines avant de décider
Anaelle Ghesquière, Sylvie Morardet, Christelle Gramaglia – UMR G-EAU, INRAE, Université de Montpellier
Cette communication s’appuie sur un travail ethnographique en cours qui vise non seulement à analyser les controverses en cours autour d’un projet de restauration, mais aussi à accompagner sa co-construction avec les riverains. Elle se focalisera plus précisément sur la notion de tâtonnement (collectif et organisé), empruntée à Isabelle Stengers, pour rendre compte d’un moment de tension entre les objectifs divergents des parties prenantes en matière de continuité hydro et écologique, lequel a débouché sur une mise en pause du projet, le temps d’explorer des alternatives. Nous montrerons qu’il ne s’agit pas d’un renoncement, mais d’une autre manière de renouer les relations plus qu’humaines avant de décider dans le cadre d’une démarche cosmopolitique. Nous en profiterons pour interroger le rôle de la sociologie (et donc notre travail) dans ce type d’expérimentation, aux côtés des gestionnaires.
