Jan 17-18, 2017
Energy Transformations. Perspectives from the Humanities
- Conference
- Dept. Renn
- Several Speakers
- Alexander Auer
- Jamie Cross
- Petra Dolata
- Carola Hein
- Per Högselius
- Manfred Laubichler
- Andreas Malm
- Franz Mauelshagen
- Matúš Mišík
- Sabrina Perić
- Carsten Reinhardt
- Vincent Della Sala
- Siddharth Sareen
- Isabell Schrickel
- Thomas Turnbull
- Benjamin Steininger
- Helga Weisz
- Helge Wendt
The conversion of the global energy system from fossil and nuclear to renewable energy resources poses a great challenge for the natural sciences, technology, industry, the economy, and for politics. The lasting success of this energy transition depends, however, not only on novel solutions for technical problems and the overcoming of economic obstacles, but also a basic understanding of the historical conditions and wide-ranging implications of such a profound transition for societies at large. Without this understanding, a true comprehension of the present energy regime and the establishment of a more sustainable system in the future seems unattainable.
The symposium discusses possible research agendas in the field of energy and resource system transformations considering novel theoretical and historical frameworks scrutinizing such shifts.
Organizing Team:
Christoph Rosol, Benjamin Steininger.
Program:
Tuesday, Jan 17
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Welcome and Introduction to the Symposium Jürgen Renn, Christoph Rosol, Benjamin Steininger |
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Preface Alexander Auer: Research on chemical energy conversion within the MAXNET Energy project and at the MPICEC |
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Session 1 (Chair: Christoph Rosol) Benjamin Steininger: Fossil or industrial? Natural or artificial? Remarks on motor fuels in the 20th century Jamie Cross: Batteries not included: Towards an anthropology of energy storage Per Högselius: Fuelling Europe: Energy transitions from a transcontinental infrastructure perspective, 1815-2015 |
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Session 2 (Chair: Rüdiger Graf) Sabrina Perić: Melting frontiers: Imperial Oil, Canadian petroscience and the permafrost archive Petra Dolata: Energy cultures in crisis? The 1970s energy crises and energy regimes Thomas Turnbull: From paradox to policy: the history of energy resource conservation in Britain and America, 1865-1981 |
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Roundtable: What is the Role of the Humanities in Studying Energy Systems and their Transformations? Helga Weisz, Carsten Reinhardt, Franz Mauelshagen, Manfred Laubichler (Moderation: Jürgen Renn) |
Wednesday, Jan 18
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Session 3 (Chair: Giulia Rispoli) Vincent Della Sala: Ontological security and the narration of energy in the European Union Isabell Schrickel: The climate-energy nexus: Modelling approaches at IIASA Matúš Mišík: The impact of the past: Central and Eastern European legacies and their influence on energy transformation Siddharth Sareen: Politics, procurement, bail-out and buy-in: Woes and ways for Rajasthan’s energy distribution sector |
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Session 4 (Chair: Benjamin Steininger) Helge Wendt: Carbon cycles: coal, knowledge and global industrializations Andreas Malm: In the Shadow of Fossil Empire: Sketches for a Research Project on Steam-power in the Nineteenth-century British Empire and its Implications for the Next Transition Carola Hein: Studying global petroleumscapes in the Dutch Randstad, China and Iran |
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Plenary Discussion (Chair: Jürgen Renn) |
- Jürgen Renn
- Christoph Rosol
- Benjamin Steininger
- Robert Schlögl