CfP: Imaginary Alps. Anthropology of landscape and legendary geography of Alpine valleys

Call for papers for the XIII International Congress “Meetings for the study of Alpine Territories” (I.S.T.A.) − organized by the Historical and Anthropological Society of Valle Camonica. The conference will take place in Breno (BS-Italia) in October 2025.

Argument: 

In the Anthropological studies, landscape is seen as a cultural construction, shaped by the interaction between human beings and the environment. Communities not only inhabit the natural space, but they interpret it and they give significance to it: mountains, woods, and valleys are not only geographic elements, but, at the same time, they become “meaningful places” through activities and memories of the communities who live there. The collective imaginary moulds the landscape, and vice versa.

The XIII International Congress “Meetings for the study of Alpine Territories” (I.S.T.A.) − organized by the Historical and Anthropological Society of Valle Camonica – explores legendary tales connected to the Alpine landscape will be explored through an interdisciplinary and comparative approach. The main purpose is to provide an overview of the landscapes tied to the imaginary and understanding whether – and how – these landscapes have influenced the culture of mountain populations.

The Call for papers is addressed to whom is interested in anthropology, history, cultural geography, folklore, ethnolinguistics, literature and history of religions. The aim is to identify case studies, theoretical reflections, field research and methodological comparisons, which can shed light on the varieties of Alpine legendary narratives. If there are more proposals related to the same issue, priority will be given to those that include different case studies.

Articles must be focused on homogeneous territories of the Alps (i.e. valleys) and they must analyse one or more following subject areas:

• Legendary places: origins, sources and development of stories related to specific locations; exploration of their popular imaginary.
• Imaginary landscape: mountains inhabited by fantastic creatures; miraculous springs and lakes; buried idols; “devil’s bridges”; imaginary underground passages; places whose access is prohibited or limited, and scary places.
• Extraordinary events and legendary figures: traditions that link specific places to famous and supernatural figures; natural disasters; popular beliefs connected to divinities, saints, nobles, witches, dragons, and other entities.
• Superstitions and daily life: the relation among magic and religious beliefs, the territory, and the ways communities organize their everyday lives.
• Toponymy and myth: place names as traces of forgotten stories, between geography and cultural memory.
• Transmission and transformation of the stories: from the oral narration to the literary writing, from 19th-century binder to new digital forms. A diachronic analysis of the same tales.
• Archetypes and cultural interconnection: a comparison across valleys, cultures, and languages, which influenced the symbolic construction of the Alpine landscapes.
• Heritage and tourism: strategies for the valorization and preservation of the local narrative heritage. Cultural promotion and risk of trivialization.

Proposal submission and important dates: 

It is possible to submit the proposal by 15th of July 2025
through one of the following links: https://forms.gle/1iVyrFLUzyMeNFK87

During the month of August 2025 the Selection Committee will communicate the candidates the selected proposals. All the accepted proposals can be included in the proceedings and the poster session.

The Conference will take place in Breno (BS, Italy) in October 2025.
No more than five candidates will be invited to present their proposal during the afternoon Conference. In the morning there will be poster sessions.

Essays for the proceedings must be submitted by January 31st, 2026.