The Cultural Evolution Society (CES) Conference 2026 successfully kicked off yesterday at the UM6P Rabat campus, hosted by the Africa Institute for Research in Economics and Social Sciences (AIRESS) in collaboration with the School of Collective Intelligence (SCI).

The day was marked by two engaging plenary sessions that set the tone for the conference. The first was delivered by Pr. Helena Miton (Stanford University), who invited participants to reflect on the limits of cultural change, offering a nuanced perspective on what culture can—and cannot—escape, and framing cultural evolution through the lens of underlying constraints that shape how ideas and practices emerge and spread. The second plenary was conducted by Pr. Abdellatif Bencherifa (UIR), titled “Land and People of the Margins Observed: Transitional Evolution in Oases and Mountains of Morocco,” where he provided rich insights into the transformations unfolding in these regions and highlighted how geographical, social, and environmental factors intersect in shaping cultural dynamics.

In addition, multiple thematic sessions took place throughout the day, covering a wide range of topics related to cultural evolution, including social learning, language, cognition, and the transmission of cultural practices.

A strong start to the conference, bringing together scholars and researchers from diverse disciplines to exchange ideas and advance the field.