RISC-SAL

RISC-SAL brings together an interdisciplinary research community, uniting scholars from the humanities, life and earth sciences, information and communication technologies, as well as representatives from indigenous communities. The network seeks to deepen our understanding of climate risks and natural disasters by incorporating indigenous and local knowledge through a participatory and inclusive approach.

Bridging Science and Indigenous Knowledge

At the core of RISC-SAL lies a commitment to fostering dialogue between researchers and holders of ancestral knowledge, offering unique perspectives on contemporary environmental challenges. By combining scientific data with traditional narratives—myths, chants, and cultural practices—related to wildfires, droughts, floods, and other extreme events, the project highlights communities' adaptive capacities in the face of climate threats. This local knowledge, empirically tested and transmitted across generations, provides methodological insights and sustainable approaches grounded in an integrated understanding of the relationship between nature and human societies.

RISC-SAL also prioritizes the inclusion of young indigenous researchers, ensuring intergenerational representation and a diversity of perspectives. By embracing oral, written, and practical indigenous knowledge, the network strengthens "biocultural diversity" and fosters innovative responses to climate change.

Strategic Priorities of the RISC-SAL Network

RISC-SAL's activities are structured around three main areas:

1. Earth Dialogues – This series of online discussions and an in-person workshop builds on The Falling Sky by Davi Kopenawa and Bruce Albert to explore the concepts of resilience and community. By incorporating these perspectives into research on natural disasters, this initiative seeks to foster innovation, encourage critical thinking, and inspire new projects that promote collaboration between researchers and local knowledge holders.
2. IA-SAL Platform – A digital hub leveraging generative artificial intelligence to centralize multilingual content, including texts, audio, and video recordings from various sources. By expanding access to narratives and scientific data on climate events, it creates an interactive space for learning and knowledge exchange.
3. Co-Creation Research Workshops –Bringing together researchers and indigenous knowledge holders, these interdisciplinary workshops use participatory methodologies to foster creativity, design interdisciplinary projects, and support the co-construction of sustainable, community-driven solutions to climate change challenges.

Network coordinators

Saulo Neiva is a Full Professor at Université Clermont Auvergne. He previously served as Regional Director of the Agence universitaire de la Francophonie for the Caribbean and the Americas. He is the scientific director of the Sá de Miranda Chair, which he founded in 2004 and which is co-financed by Camões – Instituto da Cooperação e da Língua. He also directed Centre de Recherches sur les Littératures et la Sociopoétique, CELIS UPR 4280, at the Maison des Sciences de l’Homme in Clermont-Ferrand. As part of his research related to this project, he co-edited the Dictionnaire raisonné de la caducité des genres littéraires and Temporalités amérindiennes. Représentations de l’Autre et rachat du passé.

Fábio Almeida de Carvalho is a Professor at Universidade Federal de Roraima. He is one of the founders of the Instituto Insikiran, which he also directed, playing a key role in establishing Brazil’s first higher education program dedicated to the inclusion of indigenous populations, particularly the Ye’kwana, Macuxi, Wapichana, Ingarikó, Yanomami, and Taurepang. His research focuses on literary and cultural exchanges and transfers, with a particular interest in how indigenous texts endure, evolve, and circulate across different textual and discursive ecosystems.

Abdelfettah Sifeddine is a Senior Researcher at the Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD) and a specialist in climate science and paleoclimatology, with expertise in reconstructing climate variability in Latin America. As IRD’s representative in Brazil, he works on understanding climate change mechanisms and their impact on ecosystems. He has led multiple bilateral cooperation projects between France and Brazil, Peru, and Chile.