Experience of the world

Since 2009, the Seine-Saint-Denis County Council has been backing “la Culture et l’Art au Collège (CAC)”. This project is based to a large extent on the presence in class for several weeks (40h) of an artist or scientist whose mission is to engage the students in a process of research and creation. 

Tutors: Emilie Arrago Boruah, Patricia De Aquino, Sébastien Donsez, Jean-Baptiste Eczet/ anthropologists

Project manager: Mathieu Marion

Objectives:
What is witchcraft? Do druids still exist? How much of magic is real and how much is imaginary? How can we describe these mysterious goings-on? Can they be observed and understood? With specialists in this field, F93 worked out a series of surprising activities on a powerful subject: witchcraft and magical thinking.

Workshops:
Hypotheses
To start with, the theme was explored in open class discussions led by the tutor, who asked the pupils to say what they imagined, knew or supposed about witchcraft. These ideas were then used as working hypotheses for the next stage. This stage was also an opportunity to look at what an anthropologist does (tools, methods, etc.).

Surveys
In the survey stage, the tutor used audiovisual supports (photographs, sound tracks, film footage) to show the variety of social events that anthropologists call “witchcraft.” The group then chose one of these rites for further study by means of questionnaires, observation, sound recordings, videos, sketches, etc.

Analyses
In the last stage the pupils analysed the “material” they had collected. They finalised the research by returning to the initial questions. They compared them with the answers and made statements and identified trends in various aspects of the witchcraft systems they had studied.

Exhibition:
The pupils distributed 500 copies of a 36-page booklet to participating schools and partners. Based on class and fieldwork, the booklet was a record of the pupils’ “experience of the world.” 

Special thanks to: The temple of Ganesh in Paris , Catherine Ahonkoba (storyteller), Dwrdan (druid)

Outings (selection):
- VISIT TO BROCÉLIANDE FOREST, 3 DAYS DISCOVERING THE MYTHS ASSOCIATED WITH THE FOREST AND MEETING WITH A DRUID.   
- MUSÉE DU QUAI BRANLY, VISIT ON THE THEME OF SACRED RITES AND INITIATION RITUALS.
- MUSÉE DE LA POSTE, VISIT TO THE EXHIBITION “WITCHES, MYTHS AND REALITIES”
- TEMPLE OF GANESH – ETHNOGRAPHY OF A CEREMONY

Participating schools:
- Class (6-G), Collège Pablo Neruda, Pierrefitte
- Class NSA and CLA, Collège Jean Pierre Timbaud, Bobigny
- Class Ulis, Collège Louis Pasteur, Villemomble
- Class (5th), Collège Pierre-André Houël, Romainville