The Annual Gatherings of the ISBS is an extraordinary experience where biosemiotics scholars from around the world gather to share their latest work in the field. As each presenter gets the same amount of time, there are no breakout sessions, and each presentation builds on the previous ones. The comfortable size of the Gatherings presents ample opportunity for in-depth conversations and groundbreaking insights, bringing together scholars from across each field in academia. To read more about the previous Gatherings, click this link.
The 2025 Gatherings in Biosemiotics
The Gatherings in Biosemiotics is the annual meeting of world scholars studying sign processes in living systems. Since 2001, these meetings have taken place and also serve as the annual meeting of the International Society for Biosemiotic Studies.
On behalf of the Feral Ecologies Lab, Erasmus School of Philosophy, and the Dynamics of Inclusive Prosperity Initiative, Erasmus University Rotterdam welcomes researchers in any academic discipline with an interest in biosemiotics to join us in Rotterdam, the Netherlands, for the Silver Anniversary of GIBs.
The last possible date to submit your abstract is March 17, 2025.
Please submit your abstract here: https://forms.gle/ABVBTJKsqZurxZY87
CALL FOR ABSTRACTS
As always, we welcome paper proposals on all themes in biosemiotics, semiotic concepts, and models of living systems. Proposals related to these themes are especially welcome:
Empirical Work in Biosemiotics
- EES, Eco-Evo-Devo methodologies and biosemiotics
- Quantitative methodologies
- Qualitative methodologies
- Warm Data’s challenges to traditional biological methods (and biosemiotic aspects)
- Biosemiotics in Ethology, Botany, and other Natural Sciences
Philosophy of Biology & Biosemiotics
- Biosemiotic Ethics
- Umwelt Theory and Studies
- Meriology, Taxa, and Biosemiotics
- Biosemiotic interpretations of and contributions to Plant/Fungi Philosophy
Ecosemiotics and Human Institutions
- Luhmann, Social Systems Theory, and Biosemiotics
- Simondon, Individuation, and Collective Systems
- Environmental Justice dimensions of biosemiotics
- Ecosemiotics of Climate Change
- Schismogenesis and the Double Bind in Environmentalism
- Cultural implications of biosemiotics
- Indigenous biosemiotics
Applied Biosemiotics
- Applying biosemiotics to different fields/disciplines
- Biosemiotics of Wild Food/Agriculture
- Medical biosemiotics
- Commercial biosemiotics
Peirce and Beyond
- Biosemiotics beyond traditional semiotics (including minor or upcoming authors)
- Battles of typologies (e.g., Deacon’s Symbolic Species v. Stjernfelt’s Natural Propositions)
- Contributions of other disciplines to semiotics/semiotic approaches to design, architecture, human sensory perception, non-western forms of perceiving, etc.
Centrally located in Europe with direct flights to Schiphol from all over the world, and Amsterdam just a 40-minute train ride away, Rotterdam is easily accessible. Trains from the airport to central Rotterdam take less than 30 minutes and run every 15 minutes. High-speed rail runs from Paris (2h 30m), London (3h 15m), and Brussels (1h 10m) straight to Rotterdam.
Conveners: Yogi Hale Hendlin and Constantijn-Alexander Kusters, Erasmus University Rotterdam
Please address questions to: biosemiotics25@gmail.com
