Today, energy emerges as a central issue not only in politics, economics, and environmental studies, but also across the humanities and social sciences. It stands at the intersection of multiple disciplines—philosophy, human and nonhuman geographies, material history, anthropology, cultural studies, and psychoanalysis. Energy humanities contribute actively to the multidisciplinary discourse on the future of the planet and its inhabitants. Questions of energy extraction, transportation, and consumption underpin modern conflicts and their geopolitical dimensions, spanning from fossil fuel trade and the challenges of energy transition to the nuclear threat, which rekindles Cold War tensions. These issues are set within broader contexts of global inequalities, climate change, and biodiversity loss.

The energy imaginary permeates ideological agendas, political projects, national myths, and mass media narratives, while visions of past and future energy inform public discourse, literature, and film, reflecting their historical and social underpinnings. This conference aims to map this evolving field of research by exploring the social and humanistic dimensions of energy, including fossil fuels, renewables, and nuclear power, and by examining the complex relationship between energy and the dynamics of war and peace.

Additionally, the conference will feature two policy-oriented panels: one addressing the energy and climate agenda following the onset of the full-scale war in Ukraine in 2022, and the other examining the roles of scientists, experts, and activists in shaping and implementing energy transition policies and actions.

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Keynote speakers:

Imre Szeman (University of Toronto Scarborough)

Futures of the Sun: On Power, Transition, and Tradition

Cara Daggett (Virginia Tech)

Desiring Energy: American Fantasies of Fuel, Freedom and Power

Speakers:

Darin Barney (McGill University)

Jeff Diamanti (University of Amsterdam)

Maria Engström (Uppsala University)

Benjamin Beuerle (Centre Marc Bloch)

Johanna Gautier Morin (CEU)

Alexander Klose (University of Halle)

Gretchen Bakke (Humboldt Universität zu Berlin)

Oxana Timofeeva (IGRec)

Ilia Kalinin (IGRec)

Felix Jaitner (IGRec)

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Panels on Energy and Climate Agenda in Transition and Energy Activism

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Tatiana Mitrova (Center on Global Energy Policy at Columbia SIPA) 

Tatiana Lanshina (Coalition for Sustainable Development)

Polina Malysheva (environmental/climate activist)

Oldag Caspar (Germanwatch)

Angelina Davydova (IGRec)

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‍Practical details

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Dates: December, 12-13

Venue: Wilhelm-von-Humboldt-Saal, Staatsbibliothek zu Berlin,

Unter den Linden 8, 10117 Berlin

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