Energy Anthropology Network

The European Association of Social Anthropologists (EASA) conference in Poznań (21st-24th July) provided an important opportunity for members of the Energy Anthropology Network (EAN) to connect, reflect and discuss the future of energy anthropology. Across a successful informal gathering, a network meeting, and a well-attended roundtable, one message emerged clearly: there is a growing desire to strengthen the visibility, cohesion and intellectual direction of energy anthropology within the wider anthropological community.

A Well-Attended Roundtable

The EAN roundtable proved to be a success, attracting a full audience of around 30 participants. Titled “Beyond Green Extractivism and Fossil Fascism: The role of Anthropology”, it took place on the 23th of July. Five speakers considered the possibilities, challenges and horizons of energy anthropology, generating significant interest and engagement around questions concerning the future and identity of energy anthropology.

The strong attendance and active participation confirmed that there is considerable momentum behind ongoing conversations about the role of energy anthropology in addressing contemporary energy transitions, environmental challenges and social transformations.

The EAN Network Meeting

The EAN network meeting held on the 22nd July provided a dedicated opportunity to take stock of the current state of energy anthropology and its future development.

A key theme that emerged was the need for a dedicated space where energy anthropologists can come together to reflect on the field itself: who we are, how our community is evolving and what directions our research and engagement might take in the years ahead.

Participants expressed strong support for organizing a dedicated EAN workshop next year. The idea is to create a smaller, focused event centred specifically on questions that are at the heart of energy anthropology, providing an opportunity for deeper collective reflection and exchange.

Taking Stock of the Field & Creating a Directory of Energy Anthropologists

One proposal raised was the idea of developing a manifesto for the anthropology of energy to map where energy anthropology currently stands within broader anthropological debates. As a result, the proposed workshop for next year could serve as a foundation for a future publication that captures the state of the art of European energy anthropology and identifies emerging directions for research and collaboration.

Another important outcome of the network meeting and the roundtable was the decision to establish a directory of energy anthropologists on the EAN section of the EASA website. The directory will be based on voluntary participation and aims to strengthen visibility, facilitate networking and support collaboration across institutions and countries. Discussions with EASA regarding the technical implementation of the directory are expected to begin in September.

We see this as an important step towards making the community of energy anthropologists more visible and connected.

A Successful Cross-Network Gathering

One of the highlights of the conference was an informal social event that brought together approximately 70 participants from six EASA networks: the Energy Anthropology Network (EAN), the Human and Other Living Beings Network (HOLB), the Future Anthropology Network (FAN), the Environment and Anthropology Network (EnviroAnt), the Anthropology across Ruralities Network (ACRU) and the Anthropology of Economy Network (AOE).

The event created a lively and welcoming space for conversation across thematic and disciplinary boundaries, demonstrating the value of collaboration and exchange between networks. It was encouraging to see such strong participation and enthusiasm from colleagues working across a diverse range of anthropological fields.

Looking Ahead

The conversations in Poznań made it clear that energy anthropology is entering an exciting phase of development. Across all EAN activities, participants highlighted the value of creating new opportunities for collective reflection, strengthening disciplinary visibility, and building connections within and beyond the network.

In the coming months, we will begin work on the energy anthropologist directory and continue developing plans for a dedicated EAN workshop. These initiatives represent important steps towards fostering a stronger and more connected community and advancing discussions about the future of energy anthropology.

We look forward to sharing further updates as these plans take shape.

Post written by Umberto Cao and Serena Saligari – Co-convenors of EAN

Dear EAN members,

We are looking forward to seeing some of you in Poznan for a few days of intellectual exchange and networking! 

This year’s programme sees an exponential number of energy-related panels and roundtables – a testament to how central energy remains for the discipline (and the world!). We have compiled a list for you to make sure you can make the most of the available opportunities!

EAN SPONSORED PANELS

• RT22 – Between Green Extractivism and Fossil Fascism: The Role of Critical Anthropology
• The official roundtable organised by EAN.
• POLITICUM, 137 – Thursday 23 July, 11:30-13:15

• P153 – Opacity and Energy Knowledge: Getting to Just, Sustainable Energy Policy in a Polarising World
• Panel sponsored by EAN.
• HISTORICUM 3.45 – Wednesday 22 July, 9-10.45 and 11.30-13.15

OTHER ENERGY RELATED PANELS

• P128 – Everyday maintenance of energy infrastructure in a polarized world
• POLITICUM 135 – Thursday 23 July,  11;30-13.15
• RT14 – Ecofeminist ethnographies of “green” energy projects: destabilising colonial structures in energy transitions
• POLITICUM 136 – Friday 24 July, 9:00-10:45
• P059 -Polarized Destinies: Land, Value, and Justice in the Renewable Energy Transition
• BIOLOGICUM – Tuesday 21 July, 13:45-15:30 and 16:15-18:00

EAN Network meeting

Come along to meet – or reconnect – with fellow anthropologists of energy. We will be in Morasko Campus on Wednesday 22^nd between 13.30-14.45. If you won’t be at EASA this year, no issue: an online meeting room will be set up for you to join remotely. We will share a link with instructions later on. 

EAN Social (& Drinks)

We have partnered with our friends from HOLB, FAN and EnviroANT to have an informal gathering at Kontener Art on Wednesday 22^nd at 8pm. Please come along whether you have attended any of our panels/roundtables or not – the more the merrier! 

EAN Elections

It is that time again: we are looking for new convenors to bring fresh perspectives and ideas to the Network. If you are interested, please come and chat with us at the Network meeting or social on the 22^nd July to learn more about what the convenor’s role involves. To express your interest, or to know more in case you won’t be able to attend EASA in person, please drop us an email at energyanthropologynetwork@gmail.com 

With all best wishes, and see you in Poznan,

Serena, Umberto and Ragnhild (EAN Convenors)

Our Energy Anthropology Network (EAN) is pleased to convene a roundtable at the upcoming EASA conference in Poznan (21–24 July 2026).

The roundtable title is ‘Between Green Extractivism and Fossil Fascism: The Role of Critical Anthropology’ and it aims to prompt a reflection on the role, possibilities and challenges for the anthropology of energy, between two extreme poles that we have referred to as green extractivism and fossil fascism.

In order to facilitate the flow of ideas, we have chosen a roundtable format rather than the more traditional panel format with standard paper presentations. You can send your proposals via this link, where you will also find a full description of the session:  https://nomadit.co.uk/conference/easa2026/p/18436#

The deadline for submitting proposals is January 26.

We look forward to receiving your proposals and seeing many of you in Poznan next summer! 

Umberto, Serena & Ragnhild

On Monday morning, attendees slowly made their way to Venice’s old town — most of them slightly jet-lagged from late-night flights. By 9 a.m., the city had settled into that perfect mix of calm and inspiration, setting the scene for us to come together, share ideas, make connections and get some real thinking done. We were all ready and excited to start our EASA biannual workshop, organised together with other two EASA networks: EnviroAnt – Environment and Anthropology – and HOLB  – Human and Other Living Being.

UNDERCURRENTS: Metabolic Infrastructures of Survival was hosted by Ca’ Foscari University of Venice—a setting that was anything but incidental. What better place to explore the themes of our workshop than a city that offers countless examples of how natural environments are shaped by living beings as they strive to create ecologies and infrastructures suitable for everyday life?

Day 1

To welcome us were the Networks convenors: Umberto Cao (EAN), Cormac Cleary, Pauline Destree & Zeynep Oguz (EnviroAnt), Elena Stecca, Amelia Veitch & Valentina Bonifacio (HOLB). The grand Auditorium Santa Margherita, adorned with its historic paintings, warmly welcomed attendees as they settled into their seats, eager to dive into the exciting programme ahead. Three days filled with panel presentations, interactive workshops, audio-visual performances and fieldtrips.

No time was wasted though – by 9:30 we were already delving into the flesh of our workshop. The morning panels opened up rich conversations around the entangled relations between species, energy, and environments. We explored how infrastructures—both visible and hidden—shape and are shaped by multispecies interactions, ecological pressures, and political tensions. From landscapes transformed by care and neglect to the temporal rhythms of electricity and resistance, the discussions set the stage for deep, grounded, and sometimes provocative opportunities to debate.

The presentations unfolded amidst the subtle industriousness of Luciana Frau, who was quietly setting up her ongoing exhibition To Mold —a series of photographs and installations—around us as we talked. Her work, emerging in real time, gently echoed many of the themes we were discussing, adding a layered, tactile presence to the space.

An interactive afternoon followed, with workshops that invited participants to experiment, reflect and create together. Through play, making and writing, we explored how ecological crises, supply chains and multispecies futures can be approached not only analytically, but also affectively and collaboratively. These sessions offered a more hands-on engagement with the workshop’s themes, sparking lively exchanges and unexpected connections across disciplines and practices. Some of us even made keyrings from the rubble of Turkey 2023’s earthquake while reflecting on how waste is socialise and given new life after catastrophes.

The afternoon continued with a rich and evocative audiovisual program, offering multisensory perspectives on ecological entanglements across diverse landscapes. From northern mining towns and Mediterranean wetlands to Florentine parks and coastal lagoons, the films and presentations traced how human and non-human lives become intertwined through extractivism, displacement, care and resistance. The directors’ Q&A brought the pieces into dialogue, deepening reflections on the aesthetic and political dimensions of multispecies storytelling. The evening closed with an immersive soundscape from the Venetian Lagoon—an embodied reminder of the very environment surrounding our workshop.

Day 2

On Day 2, we gathered in the beautiful Aula Baratto, overlooking the Grand Canal. We were joined by two special guests, Dominic Boyer and Cymene Howe from Rice University, whose work has been foundational in shaping conversations around energy, infrastructure and more-than-human worlds. The morning panels opened with reflections on atmosphere, immersion and the sensory dimensions of being in place—followed by sharp insights into the metabolic logics of contemporary infrastructures, from petrostate politics to speculative green energy futures. These talks brought theoretical depth and new provocations to our discussions, grounding them in urgent ecological and geopolitical realities.

It wasn’t long before we were on our feet again. By late morning, we gathered in the Ca’ Foscari patio and boarded a vaporetto bound for Lido Island, leaving behind the stone courtyards of Venice for sandy shores and sea breezes. The day’s excursion brought the workshop themes into the field—quite literally—starting with lunch among the bees at the social farm “Azienda Agricola Sociale Terre Ritrovate”, where ecological care is practiced daily. Walking along the coast to Alberoni, we heard from local anthropologist Rita Vianello about the MOSE flood barrier and the tensions between technological intervention and island life as this infrastructure became entangled with corrupted politics, mismanagement and a top-down approach to altering the landscape.

The journey then led to Malamocco, where members of the grassroots group “Poveglia per tutti” shared stories of resistance and collective care, explaining how they launched a crowdfunding campaign to stop the island of Poveglia from falling into private hands. As the sun lowered, we took the boat back to Venice to share a dinner in the amazing facilities of “Tocia”, a local collective who cooked for us an amazing meal that brought a fitting close to a day shaped by movement, encounters, and grounded, place-based knowledge

Day 3

On day 3, we changed location again to meet at the management campus and dive into a series of panels focusing on watery landscapes and ecological entanglements. The morning sessions explored how states, communities and species negotiate water – from Soviet infrastructural ambitions to grassroots activism against invasive species in the Venetian lagoon. As the day progressed, conversations turned toward the complexities of tracking ecological knowledge across scales, from local biodiversity networks in Spain to tech-driven sustainability efforts in India and Turkey. After lunch, we reflected on the emotional and cultural afterlives of environmental change, with moving discussions on mourning glaciers, decolonising coastal infrastructures and the sonic landscapes of ecological memory. These panels wove together diverse perspectives on how water and ecology shape, and are shaped by, histories, politics and multispecies lives.

Another round of workshops followed as a closing to the event, offering participants a chance to engage creatively and critically with themes of multispecies relationships, storytelling as resistance, and the intersections of myth and environment. These parallel sessions invited hands-on exploration and reflection, providing a dynamic and thoughtful conclusion to the workshop.

Reluctant to say goodbye, we seized the last opportunity to connect further by sharing a meal together at one of Venice’s many charming osterie. With the promise to reunite soon, we made plans to meet again at EASA in Poznan in July 2026!

We would like to thank:

The collective TOCIA, for their amazing food catering throughout the workshop.

Valentina Bonifacio and the staff of Ca’ Foscari University for the warm welcome and the unwavering support throughout the workshop

Dr Serena Saligari, Secretary of the Energy Anthropology Network

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Energy Anthropology & Futures Anthropologies Network workshop, 15-17 June 2023

We are excited to announce that the 2023 EAN Workshop will take place in Summer 2023 in Lisbon, Portugal! The workshop’s conference theme – as voted by our network poll – will be Renewable Energy and Post-Carbon Futures. This year’s workshop is extra special, as it will be an EAN-FAN collaboration, organised jointly by the Energy Anthropology Network and the Future Anthropology Network. The Call for Papers is now open, and closes on January 3rd 2023. We look forward to seeing you in Lisbon!

Call for Papers

The climate crisis requires a global shift away from dependence on fossil fuel energy. Globally, more than 70% of energy-related greenhouse gas emissions must be cut by 2050 to keep global warming well below 2°C. Electricity generation from renewable energy sources will be central to the needed transition, yet expectations of a constant supply of electricity to fuel ever-expanding production, energy security and affordability present challenges to the creation of just and decarbonised futures. While the pace of decarbonisation needs to increase, growth of the sector can, but does not necessarily reconfigure power and hierarchies within and between nations. Renewable energy systems can also pose a threat to societies, nature and planetary health, and have become increasingly scrutinized over issues of mineral extraction, financialisation, infrastructural expansions or waste disposal. While low-carbon energy transitions are presented as crucial to counter fossil fuel dominance, they too can (and have) become entangled into neo-colonial ambitions and growth imperatives. This raises important questions about the potential political landscapes of a post-fossil fuel era. Which futures are made possible by low-carbon energy production, and which are foreclosed? What comprises ‘successful’ energy systems – and for whom? As the world moves towards post-fossil and low-carbon futures, how can anthropology and the social sciences contribute to the making of just and sustainable futures?

We invite engaged energy and future anthropologists and other interdisciplinary counterparts from geography, science and technology studies, political ecology and similar disciplines into a critically constructive forum of discussion. Presentations that incorporate multimodal approaches to these themes are encouraged. Please submit a 250-500 words abstract to Katja Müller (katja.mueller@zirs.uni-halle.de) and Ragnhild Freng Dale (rfd@vestforsk.no) by 10 Jan 2023. Include your institutional affiliation and whether you would like to participate remotely or in person. The Energy Anthropology and Future Anthropologies Networks are pleased to hold this workshop in cooperation with the Centro em Rede de Investigação em Antropologia at the Instituto Universitário de Lisboa during 15-17 June 2023.

EASA 2022 is coming up soon! It will be a hybrid conference hosted by the Queen’s University Belfast and is particularly focused on the connections between hope and political projects of (un)commoning. This gives us a way of thinking about political, social, economic, environmental and cultural transformations in the context of the pandemic and beyond. Are there transformations for which we can hope? If so, how can we hope for such transformations? What kinds of transformations should be in-common or what kinds of transformations are best left as uncommon?

The Energy Anthropology Network will convene at EASA2022 and for the first time officially sponsor two (!) panels, namely P043 Commoning-decommoning dynamics in climate and energy politics and
P091 Energy transition(s): The promises of renewables and future of the commons.

And besides contemporary politics, here’s another indication that energy anthropology is gaining traction: P022 Uncommon exporations between green technologies, climate hopes and the anthropological imagination and P128 The European energy sector in transformation have a strong energy focus, and P146 Experimental transformations – Living labs as hopeful commons and P008 Infrastructural makeshifts: the temporality and materiality of hope in times of urban transformations also explicitly invited contributions from energy research.

The network meeting will be held on Wednesday afternoon (17:00-18:45 Belfast time). Attendance is possible for those registered as well as unregistered.

We are looking forward to an engaging conference for and beyond energy anthropology!

Presented in conjunction with CRSCEES, the Centre for Energy Ethics invites you to join them for a “Ukraine: Energy in the Spotlight” 5-part seminar series that will run virtually every Thursday at 2pm BST, starting on 7 April. Joined by Ukrainian experts and special guests from and beyond the region, the seminar series will delve into the everyday energy realities faced by Ukrainians, the new ethical dimensions of energy that have emerged from the war, and the transregional implications for energy futures in Ukraine and worldwide. 

Part 1: Nuclear Worlds, Thursday 7 AprilPart 2: Natural Gas & Pipeline Geopolitics, Thursday 14 AprilPart 3: Electricity Networks – Connecting Worlds by Wires, Thursday 21 AprilPart 4: Oil Markets and Crude Politics, Thursday 28 AprilPart 5: Coal, Old and New, Thursday 5 May Register and find out more information here. 

Crucially, the Centre for Energy Ethics invites donations to the University’s Hardship Appeal for St Andrews students and staff affected by the war in Ukraine. Assisting with accommodation, living expenses and other incidentals faced in the months ahead, the Fund aims to provide peace of mind that St Andrews will remain a safe and supportive haven for anyone directly affected by the war. Donate here.