* Apologies for cross-posting*
Dear colleagues,
We invite abstracts for our Workshop: Constructing, exploring and conceptualising ‘energy democracy’
At the fifth Energy & Society Conference, 8-10 September 2020 in Trento
-- please note that the deadline for submission is TODAY --
Convenors:
Elisabet Rasch (Wageningen University)
Michiel Köhne (Wageningen University)
Workshop:
Constructing, exploring and conceptualising ‘energy democracy’ from below
In this workshop we aim at exploring energy practices related to renewable energy through the concept of ‘energy democracy’. Renewable energy is often seen as a straightforward solution in discussions on climate change, disregarding the multiple and varied ways in which people may experience, conceptualize, and evaluate ‘energy matters’. Energy democracy offers a possible avenue for understanding the different ways that communities might react to and organize around the production of renewable energy. In this workshop we aim at unravelling both the energy practices through which energy democracy is enacted as well as the norms and ideas about just ways of producing energy.
Energy democracy as a social movement is rooted in the long-standing social and environmental justice movements and goes beyond simplistic frameworks of the ‘transition to 100% renewables’ to offer a deeper understanding of the cultural, political, economic, and social dimensions of energy transition (Fairchild and Weinrub, 2017: 1, Angel, 2016). It emphasizes the importance of efforts by citizens to exercise more control over energy decisions and over their energy future. The energy democracy movement seeks to advance democratization through democratically-planned and public- and community-owned and -operated renewable energy systems. Re-establishing control over energy production is viewed as an essential step in this process (Burke and Stephens, 2018). Renewable systems and democratic politics can be mutually supporting, and therefore it is proposed that renewable energy transitions be approached as means for democratic development. At the same time, opposition to the construction of large scale renewable energy infrastructures, especially from local communities living on or close to proposed wind farm sites and solar parks. Renewable energy is thus not only about clean, healthy and carbon neutral energy, it is also about social justice and local ownership; about energy democracy.
For this workshop we invite papers that explore the concept of energy democracy through ethnographic case studies about how communities (re)appropriate the production of renewable energy, as well as ethnographic case studies that research resistance towards large scale renewable energy projects. We invite participants to write short, 3000 words, papers before August 25th on the basis of which we will prepare discussion points for the workshop. The aim of the workshop is to further the conceptualization of ‘energy democracy’ in relation to our case studies as preparation for later publication in a special issue.
Angel, J (2017) ‘Towards an Energy Politics In-Against-and-Beyond the State: Berlin's Struggle for Energy Democracy’, Antipode, vol 49 no 3, pp557-576.
Burke, M.J. and Stephens, J.C. (2018) ‘Political power and renewable energy futures: A critical review’, Energy Research & Social Science, vol 35, pp78–93.
Fairchild, D. and Weinrub, A. (eds.) (2017). Energy democracy. Advancing equity in clean energy solutions. Island Press, Washington DC.
Conference website and for submission, go here: https://webmagazine.unitn.it/evento/sociologia/70872/fifth-energy-and-society-conference
**Deadline: 31 January 2020**
For more information please contact one of the panel organizers, we look forward to seeing you in Trento!
Elisabet Rasch (Wageningen University) [log in to unmask]
Michiel Köhne (Wageningen University) [log in to unmask]
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