Speakers & Moderators

Philosopher Vinciane Despret has taught at the University of Liège and the Free University of Brussels. Passionate about ethology, she has published numerous works exploring knowledge practices with animals, including La danse du cratérope écaillé, Quand le loup habitera avec l’agneau, Que diraient les animaux si on leur posait les bonnes questions ?, and Habiter en oiseau. She has also conducted similar research on humans, particularly with Ces émotions qui nous fabriquent, Au bonheur des morts. Récits de ceux qui restent, and Les morts à l’œuvre. Her latest book has led her into fiction with Autobiographie d’un poulpe et autres récits d’anticipation. She also collaborated with cartoonist Pierre Kroll on a graphic novel published in 2024: Dieu, Darwin, tout et n’importe quoi.
She served as the scientific curator for the Bêtes et Hommes exhibition in Paris in 2007 and for the exhibition at the Belgian Pavilion at the 2023 Venice Architecture Biennale. Despret was awarded the Moron Prize by the French Academy in 2021 for her body of work and has been a member of the Royal Academy of Belgium since 2024.
©Sylvère Petit