Several More Lives to Live

In September 1847, Henry David Thoreau left his cabin at Walden Pond after two years, two months and two days. Reflecting on that decision, he wrote: “I left the woods for as good a reason as I went there. Perhaps it seemed to me that I had several more lives to live.” In 2027, we mark the 180th anniversary of that departure, a moment that invites renewed attention not only to Thoreau’s retreat, but to what comes after it.

Specifically, this international conference proposes to explore how Thoreau and his circle of writers, thinkers, and reformers faced transition. While Walden is often read as a paradigm of withdrawal, Thoreau’s own framing emphasizes movement: leaving, returning, and renewal. The experience of retreat is not an endpoint, but part of a broader cycle through which individuals and communities transform themselves and re-engage with the world.

The theme resonates in a particularly meaningful way at Arantzazu Sanctuary, sitting at 700m in the heart of the Basque Country. For centuries, the Franciscan community of Arantzazu has cultivated a space of contemplation, intellectual life, and cultural production. This conjunction offers a unique opportunity to think about the dynamics of departure and renewal across different contexts. What does it mean to leave a place that has shaped one’s way of life? How do practices of retreat, whether philosophical, spiritual, or ecological, translate into new forms of engagement? What kinds of personal, social, and institutional transformations are made possible through such transitions?

We invite contributions that address Thoreau’s work, his contemporaries, and their contemporary relevance through the lens of leaving, returning, and renewal. We particularly welcome interdisciplinary approaches that connect philosophy, environmental humanities, anthropology, religious studies, political theory, architecture, local history and social practice.

Academic Program

Keynote Speaker

Lydia Willsky-Ciollo, associate professor of religious studies and director of American Studies at Fairfield University. 

Plenary Papers (there will be no parallel sessions) on:

Cultural Program

FAQ

• What is the language of the conference? All activities will be done in English
• I am not a Thoreau scholar. Can I propose a paper? Yes, as long as it relates to the general topic of the conference and makes some reference to Thoreau or his close group of contemporaries. It will be blindly reviewed by the Scientific Committee.
• When is the deadline to submit a paper proposal? The extended CFP ends in November 15. Send your proposal (title + 300 word description) to henrik.otterberg [at] thoreausociety.org.

Suggested Accommodation

• https://hsarantzazu.com/
•  https://hotel-sindika.com/
• https://www.arantzazuaterpetxea.com/en

Acknowledgments

• The Thoreau Alliance
• Arantzazulab
• AKTIBA-IT
• Oñatiko Udala
• Eusko Jaurlartitza
• University of the Basque Country (EHU)

Contact

henrik.otterberg [at] thoreausociety.org