Digital resources in the Social Sciences and Humanities OpenEdition Our platforms OpenEdition Books OpenEdition Journals Hypotheses Calenda Libraries OpenEdition Freemium Follow us

EAN/FAN Workshop 2023: Renewable Energy and Post-Carbon Futures

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.

Summary Energy Anthropology Network meeting Belfast (27 July 2022)

Th Energy Anthropology network gathered on 27/7/22 in Belfast. In attendance were: Katja Müller (convenor), Nathalie Ortar, Simone Abram, Selena Saligari, Karen Henwood, Jennifer Speirs, Ana Isabel Afonso, Marten Boekelo, Maria Triton, Pauline Destree, Felix Schiedlowski, Chima Anyadike-Danes, Ben Campbell, Ragnhild Freng Dale, Karen Waltorp, Debora Lanzani and Elisabeth Moolenaar (secretary). 

The network discussed the activities in the last two years.

  • network meeting in Stavanger @ the Petroleum museum “Digitisation and low carbon energy transitions” which was a successful hybrid meeting and lead to a edited volume (see below)
  • the website was updated
  • thanks to Marten Boekelo the network has a regular newsletter
  • the energy dialogues were much appreciated and the network hopes to continue those

Several volumes were produced which were presented at the meeting:

  • Ethnographies of Power
  • Energy Futures
  • Digitisation and low carbon energy transitions

The activities and edited volumes indicate that we have a productive network. The group discussed what’s next. Some suggested a journal or special issue (talk to John Campbell about Urban anthropology journal and Chris gross) We can also think about producing a book series. 

The group also discussed ideas for the meeting in between the biannual EASA meetings. Simone suggested combining it with a conference at Durham in September 2023. Some themes that might lend themselves well for the meeting and collaborating with other networks: mobility and media. The idea arose to survey the network to see what ideas and/or preferences others may have.

Elisabeth Moolenaar resigned her post as network secretary after two terms (2018-2022). Pauline Destree will be the new network secretary. Ragnhild Freng will be Katja Müller’s new co-convenor. Selena Saligari volunteered to manage the social media for the network.

(for additions or revisions to these notes please contact emoolenaar@regis.edu)network

EAN network meeting July 27

In less than a week we will be meeting with network members at the EASA conference in Belfast. Please join us 27 July 17:00-18:45pm to discuss:

  • our workshop for 2023 (we always organize a mini network gathering/conference in between the biannual meetings)
  • collaborations or projects members are interested in
  • open positions — are you interested in becoming more active in the network? We have at least two positions that are officially at the end of their term: secretary and convenor

Registered and unregistered participants can join.

Please reach out to us if you have any questions at katja.mueller@zirs.uni-halle.de and/or emoolenaar@regis.edu.

EASA 2022 in Belfast

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!

CFP Eric Wolf Student Paper Prize

The Political Ecology Society (PESO) announces the 2022 Eric Wolf Prize for the best article-length paper. The competition offers a great opportunity as it involves paid registration fees for the Society for Applied Anthropology annual meeting, a feature presentation of the paper at this meeting, and publication in the Journal of Political Ecology!

We seek papers based in substantive field research that make an innovative contribution to political ecology. Clear links to some specific set of political ecology ideas and literature is important. To be eligible for the competition, scholars must be no more than two years past the completion of their Master’s or Ph.D. degree. This includes scholars who have not yet received the Ph.D. and Master’s students. Multiple authored papers are considered as long as the first author meets the above criteria. Be mindful the prize is meant exclusively to support students and newly minted grads. Also, we cannot accept papers that are already under review at a journal.

The deadline for submission is September 5, 2022.

The preferred format for papers is electronic, i.e. Word or PDF. Please contact us, if you need to submit in some other format. Please anonymize your submission and use the style guidelines provided on the Journal of Political Ecology webpage: https://journals.uair.arizona.edu/index.php/JPE/about/submissions

As the winning paper will be published in the Journal of Political Ecology, the prize reviewers may request revisions before the item is published.

Electronic submissions and further queries should be sent to Dr. Elisabeth Moolenaar (emoolenaar@regis.edu)

Have you registered for the EASA biennial meeting yet?

The EASA biennial meeting will take place in Belfast from July 26 through July 29. Early bird registration opened on May 20th and will close the end of June.

Registration is by online form only and does not require instant payment. Your registration will be manually processed and an invoice with payment information emailed after a few days. Payment can be taken online by credit card or bank transfer, and invoices should be settled within 15 days.  

How much are conference fees? Early bird fees for f2f participants will be:
Concession member (those with gross annual income below €25,000): 160 GBP
Member: 230 GBP
Non-member: 330 GBP

This fee includes f2f and online access to four days of conference sessions (in 2018 there were more than 180 panels and labs to choose from). It also includes an opening drinks reception, 4 lunches and 6 tea/coffee breaks, access to online chat/networking tools and session recordings. The conference dinner/party ticket is a charged-for extra, to be booked at the time of registration.

Early Bird prices for F2F participants will cease on 20 June (standard fees will be 75 GBP more expensive).

There are no daily registration rates for this event. Day-rates have always been a way to ensure access for those with care obligations and other reasons which limit time away. However in the context of hybrid format and the global ecological crisis, we would encourage those who can only attend for a day to register for online participation.

Early bird fees for virtual participation will be:
Concession member (those with gross annual income below €25,000): 50 GBP
Member: 100 GBP
Non-member: 150 GBP

The registration fee for virtual participation includes online access to all sessions, access to session recordings and online chat/networking tools. The deadline for online registration is July 6, after this point it will not be possible to register for online attendance.

Early Bird prices for virtual participation will continue until 20 June, when prices will rise by 40 GBP.

To register or for more information visit: https://easaonline.org/conferences/easa2022/registration

Ukraine: Energy in the Spotlight seminar series

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.

ETROD session on deep time reckoning, February 24th, 16-17:45 CE(S)T

ETROD welcomes Vincent Ialenti to discuss the introduction to his book “Deep time reckoning: How Future Thinking Can Help Earth Now“ (2020, MIT Press) in which he argues that we need to become “more skilled deep time reckoners” and to learn to inhabit a longer now. 

Topic: ETROD – Extractivism and Transition Research Online Dialogues

Time: Feb 24, 2022 04:00 PM Amsterdam, Berlin, Rome, Stockholm, Vienna

 ETROD occurs every month on the Fourth Thursday. Three upcoming dates: Feb 24, March 24, April 28 all at 4pm CEST.

Join Zoom Meeting

https://hu-berlin.zoom.us/j/64895468707?pwd=TytjRzFzaHV0RkpiTHVyRXprUFZQdz09

Meeting ID: 648 9546 8707

Password: 407026

CFP, EASA meeting Belfast, July 26-29

Energy anthropology is gaining traction: we have two official EAN panels at the EASA2022 in Belfast! Please check them out and propose papers for:

P043 – Commoning-decommoning dynamics in climate and energy politics (https://easaonline.org/conferences/easa2022/programme#11535)
P091 – Energy transition(s): The promises of renewables and future of the commons (https://easaonline.org/conferences/easa2022/programme#11519)

Deadline for paper submissions is March 21.

There are at least two more panels (P022 and P128) that have a strong energy focus – so we’re looking forward to an engaging conference!

Permanent Research Fellow job opportunity: Interdisciplinary social sciences for sustainability Headlines

Based at Global Sustainability Institute, Anglia Ruskin University, Cambridge, UK.   

Application deadline: Monday 28 March 2022

Start date: negotiable, likely June 2022 onwards

 Global Sustainability Institute (GSI)Over the past 10 years, the GSI has built a global reputation for delivering research impact and high-quality publications across a broad range of sustainability issues. The GSI undertakes interdisciplinary, action-focussed Social Sciences and Humanities research to support transformations towards sustainable and just societies. The GSI has a particular interest in research that has the potential for real-world impact, and thus has a wide portfolio of applied projects that focus on working with e.g. European Commission, UK Government, local authorities, charities and NGOs, business and industry, etc. Most notably for this post, we have led the €1m European Innovation Forum for energy-related Social Sciences and Humanities (Energy-SHIFTS, 2019-2021) and its €2m predecessor EU platform (SHAPE ENERGY, 2017-2019), and have recently been awarded coordination of the forthcoming €3m European Centre of Excellence for Social Sciences and Humanities research on climate, energy and mobility (SSH CENTRE, 2022-26). We are coordinating the newly launched €5m SHARED GREEN DEAL (2022-2027), which is implementing 24 social experiments across Europe on Green Deal priority areas. We have also received funding from six of the seven UK Research Councils (ESRC, EPSRC, NERC, AHRC, BBSRC, STFC), for example being part of major UKRI centres such as the ESRC’sCentre for Understanding Sustainable Prosperity and EPSRC’s EnergyREV.  

The positionThis is an exciting opportunity to build your own research portfolio in areas that are complementary to the GSI’s current research on the social studies of sustainability/energy transformations. You’ll start off as a Post-Doctoral Research Fellow, but there will be ample possibilities to continue progression up the research career ladder (to e.g. Senior Research Fellow; Principal Research Fellow or Associate Professor; Professor). Candidates will be expected to bring their own ideas for development, but will also be given the opportunity to collaborate with GSI colleagues on funding proposals already under development.

Reminder deadline CFP EASA meeting, January 13th!

This Thursday is the deadline for panel proposals for the EASA biennial meeting this summer. EAN is guaranteed one accepted panel, so please indicate in your proposal that you would like it to be considered for the Energy Anthro Network by writing [Energy Anthro Network] after your proposal title (when submitting or afterwards by editing it through Cocoa). Please let the network convenors know if you want your panel to be sponsored by emailing Katja, Siddharth or Elisabeth (katja.mueller@zirs.uni-halle.de, siddharth.sareen@uis.no, emoolenaar@regis.edu)).

The rules for panel submission have become a bit more extensive: among other things you must make sure that there are at least two people from different institutions (ideally: countries) convening, with at least one having a PhD and at least one being present in Belfast during the fully hybrid conference.
Please feel free to use the EAN list if you are looking for someone to partner up with, e.g. through stating the proposed panel title, your institution and whether you’d like to attend in person – people interested might then use the chance to reply to you directly.

Happy New Year & CFP EASA biennial meeting 26-29 July in Belfast

Happy new year everyone! We hope the holidays were pleasant for everyone even though the pandemic marches on. With these behind us we hope you will continue your important work in energy anthropology in 2022. Or, for some this may actually be a new endeavour. Whatever the case may be, please know there is a community of scholars working on similar issues that you can access through our energy anthropology network!

This summer we have our biennial meeting coming up 26-29 of July in Belfast. The theme is Transformation, Hope and the Commons. The deadline for the Call for Papers is now extended by ten days to 13th January. The conference is planned as a hybrid event, combining in-person and online participation.  Please read the theme, the instructions and guidelines, information on registration fees before proposing your panel from the Call for Panels page.

PhD assistantship in offshore wind social science at the University of Rode Island, department of Marine Affairs.

Announcement for a funded research assistantship in Marine Affairs at URI. Our hope is to find candidates who are able to start work in May 2022.
 
They are currently recruiting candidates for a funded PhD position working on two mixed-methods projects related to offshore wind development. Project 1
investigates the messaging, networks and community engagement efforts
surrounding two offshore wind developments in New England. Project 2
investigates questions of justice and the impacts of offshore wind
developments on indigenous and non-indigenous communities in the Northeast
U.S.
 

The successful candidate will be co-advised by Dr. David Bidwell and Dr.
Emily Diamond at the University of Rhode Island, will work with other
collaborators from other institutions, and will interact with diverse
communities. Three years of funding is guaranteed, with the student working
20 hours/week on the two projects.
 
Interested candidates should apply to the Marine Affairs
<https://web.uri.edu/maf/> PhD program at URI, preferably by January 15th:
https://web.uri.edu/cels-gradprograms/marine-affairs-ph-d-program/

Lecturer position in anthroengineering at London South Bank University

The Division of Mechanical Engineering and Design at London South Bank University is hiring a new lecturer with a focus on anthroengineering (job posting here). 
The lecturer will be expected to aid in the delivery of our MSc in Anthroengineering in Sept 2022. The course, found here, will focus mostly on biomechanics and end-user design/design anthropology. The ideal candidate would have experience combining engineering and anthropology in their research, but candidates from a variety of relevant backgrounds will be considered. 

Open AAA annual meeting panel November 18, The Green Frontier: Critical Perspectives on Energy Transitions

You are invited to the AAA 2021 Annual Meeting panel, “The Green Frontier: Critical Perspectives on Energy Transitions.” The panel is open to all and will be accessible through this Zoom link (Meeting ID: 931 5876 9092). The panel description and detailed program are below. We hope to see you there!


The Green Frontier: Critical Perspectives on Energy Transitions November 18, 202110:15 AM – 12:00 PM (Eastern Time)AAA 2021 Annual Meeting
Chair: Mark GoodaleDiscussants: Cymene Howe and Dominic Boyer
As the collective transition from fossil fuels to cleaner energy forms becomes increasingly accepted and desired due to the pressing crises of climate change, a growing number of governments and companies are adopting green energy solutions. These range from  wind and solar energy projects to lithium extraction and nuclear energy endeavors while it remains unclear if these so-called “green transitions” will represent a significant break with the structures of carbon capitalism that enabled the climate crisis in the first place. Recent ethnographies have shown how green energy projects replicate similar dominant political, social, and economic patterns through which coal and oil-powered energy systems have depended upon, and they continue to reproduce both extractivist logics and the local and planetary inequalities in the so-called post-carbon age. In this panel, we aim to critically engage with post-carbon and/or green energy assemblages. We are especially interested in how green energy projects replicate and/or diverge from carbon-based forms of energy and the ways in which such transitions involve the concerns of local communities over sovereignty and livable worlds. “Introduction: Toward a Critical Anthropology of Energy Assemblages”Mark Goodale “Freedom and Fuel: How Fossil Fuel PR Shapes Green Transition Narratives” Cara Daggett “The Oceanic Frontier: Offshore Gas Fields, Extractivism, and Geo-Political Futures in a Divided Cyprus”Zeynep Oguz“Solar What?! Struggling with Carbon Logics in Post-Carbon Design”Jamie Cross “Sovereign and Dignified” Extraction in Bolivia: Regional Encounters with Nationalized Lithium Industrialization”
David Luis Schröter
DiscussionCymene Howe and Dominic Boyer