Terra Tramontana is an integrated program of audio-visual and sound researches in European mountain areas, based on common research methodologies and broad themes. The project defined a common approach to field research, which was articulated in themes stemming from reflections and collective exchanges. These shared themes clearly promote the consistency, comparison and analysis of the digital documents produced by the different partners.

During the project, more than 350 field inquiries were carried out in the mountain ranges of Europe which enabled to develop substantial comparisons, to have a fertile thematic network and, on the other hand, to fine-tune the research methodology.

The multidisciplinary articulation of this project allowed us to carry out research using different methodological approaches, while trying to grasp meeting points and intersections: by dialecting anthropological, ethnolinguistic inquiries as well as soundscapes, artistic interventions, etc. These inquiries were developed in relation to a common frame of reference for field research, which defines:

• criteria for the choice of communities and inhabitants;
• typologies of inquiries and their specific characteristics;
• themes to be addresses or to be privileged;
• a framework for field work questionnaires;
• technical aspects of sound and video recording during fieldwork, metadata to gather, etc.

All the inquiries that were carried out during the project were integrated into a thematic grid entitled “The circle, the line and the fold: Needs, values ​​and changes in European mountains”, one that included, on the one hand, those that resulted from local demands or requests, on the other hand, those intented to have a continental scope, relating to major issues concerning the very future and cohesion of Europe: the role of traditions in a changing Europe, the socio-economic values ​​of rural areas or inter-regional dialogue based on shared historical experiences.

The research themes chosen by the network’s partners cover a fairly diverse range of aspects: geo-economic (rivers, shepherds, flax, wool, mines, resin), historical (WWII), religious ( the extra-human universe, bells, funeral practices and representations of death), ethnolinguistic (local or minority languages), social (carnivals, traditional songs and dances, tales and legends) and those related the know-how of rural communities (oxcarts, clothing, the human-animal relationship, etc.).