Description
Book SynopsisEnergy and Society is the first major text to provide an extensive critical treatment of energy issues informed by recent research on energy in the social sciences. Written in an engaging and accessible style it draws new thinking on uneven development, consumption, vulnerability and transition together to illustrate the social significance of energy systems in the global North and South. The book features case studies, examples, discussion questions, activities, recommended reading and more, to facilitate its use in teaching. Energy and Society deploys contemporary geographical concepts and approaches but is not narrowly disciplinary. Its critical perspective highlights connections between energy and significant socio-economic and political processes, such as globalisation, urban isation, international development and social justice, and connects important issues that are often treated in isolation, such as resource availability, energy security, energy access and low-carbon transition.
Co-authored by leading researchers and based on current research and thinking in the social sciences, Energy and Society presents a distinctive geographical approach to contemporary energy issues. It is an essential resource for upperlevel undergraduates and Masterâs students in geography, environmental studies, urban studies, energy studies and related fields.
Trade Review"With an extraordinarily impressive list of prominent authors, Energy and Society offers a critical yet much needed interdisciplinary approach that is richly detailed and meticulously researched. Although intended primarily for students and geographers, its contributions are by no means limited to those spheres. Everyone concerned about topics as diverse as resources, energy landscapes, security, sustainability, poverty, and transitions ought to read this book." - Benjamin K. Sovacool, Professor of Energy Policy, University of Sussex, UK
"A timely and much-needed critical examination of energy across the globe. This innovative textbook draws together cutting edge social science approaches to examining the social, cultural, and technical dynamics of energy in a compelling and accessible manner. As such, Energy and Society: A Critical Perspective is must-read for both students and researchers seeking to understand the changing worlds of energy." - Conor Harrison, Assistant Professor, University of South Carolina, USA
"Energy and Society provides an insightful and resolutely socio-technical perspective on contemporary energy dilemmas, taking cutting edge research from the social sciences – especially geography, science & technology studies, history and sociology – and making it accessible to undergraduate and graduate students in a variety of programs. Deftly moving from the scale of households to cities and transnational infrastructures, the authors place justice at the center of questions about energy, encouraging readers to consider who benefits and who bears the burdens of energy systems – both those that currently shape our everyday lives and those that we debate for the future." - Jessica M. Smith, Associate Professor, Engineering, Design & Society Division, Colorado School of Mines, USA
"Energy and Society is a brilliant contribution to scholarship at the intersection of technology and society, demonstrating the importance of a social science analysis of energy, an area historically deemed to be purely technical. The authors skilfully weave together a number of different topics to show how energy is an important matter of global social concern. Energy and Society provides an incredibly useful text for teaching, as well as a call to action for more established energy researchers through its laudable focus on social justice." - Heather Lovell, University of Tasmania, Australia
Table of ContentsList of Figures List of Tables List of Definitions Introduction: a critical perspective on energy-society relations PART 1 ENERGY, SPACES AND FLOWS Chapter 1 Resource landscapes Chapter 2 Economic landscapes Chapter 3 Infrastructural landscapes Chapter 4 Geopolitical landscapes PART 2 SECURITIES, VULNERABILITIES AND JUSTICE Chapter 5 Energy poverty and vulnerability Chapter 6 Energy consumption, inefficiency and excess Chapter 7 Energy controversies and conflicts Chapter 8 Energy securities PART 3 TRANSITIONS, GOVERNANCE AND FUTURES Chapter 9 Past transitions Chapter 10 Future transitions Index
