Penser les effondrements et les ruptures : approches historiques, archéologiques et épistémologiques

The Prehistory and Protohistory Section of the CTHS and the CTHS editorial team are pleased to announce the publication of the proceedings from the Toulouse 2023 Congress: Thinking About Collapses and Ruptures: Historical, Archaeological, and Epistemological Approaches. This digital book is entirely free of charge. The contributions can be consulted, downloaded, cited, and shared thanks to the features of the OpenEdition Books platform.

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This work examines the concepts of collapse, rupture, crisis, and resilience from a multidisciplinary perspective and over the long term, organized into four chapters dedicated to epistemological reflections, human societies, the living world, and epidemics. These nineteen contributions highlight, from the Paleolithic to the contemporary era, the diversity of historical trajectories—between gradual transformations, abrupt ruptures, and capacities for adaptation. Particular attention is paid to the current ecological crisis and the parallels between past collapses and contemporary risks. The collection invites us to move beyond catastrophist visions and to consider collapses as complex processes, socially and historiographically constructed.

The National Congress of Historical and Scientific Societies brings together academics, members of learned societies, and young researchers every year. This volume is based on papers presented at the 147th Congress on the theme “Collapses and Ruptures.”