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Does Energy Have History?

Eggers Hall, 341

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Daniela Russ, Assistant Professor, University of Leipzig, TEFE-Fellow, Remarque Institute for European Studies, NYU

History and the social sciences have been plagued by the paradox of treating energy as both natural and historical. On the one hand, following the natural sciences, they see it as an ahistorical property of nature that serves as the material basis of human societies. On the other hand, the formulation of the principle of energy conservation in the mid-nineteenth century represented such a break with mechanical orthodoxy that it triggered investigations into the historicity of knowledge among natural scientists themselves.

This has led to another line of thought that emphasizes the historicity of the concept and sees energy more as a piece of knowledge or ideology. In both perspectives, however, energy remains a thing – in nature or in thought – that is relatively independent of social practice. The paper outlines what a historical materialist approach to the materiality of energy might look like.

Drawing on earlier work that conceptualizes energy as a relation to nature (Bogdanov) or a social relation (Huber), the paper proposes to think of energy as a historically developed material condition of human life. If this condition is historical, ie. did not develop naturally but against nature, what does this mean for the writing of energy and environmental history?

Dr. Russ is a historical sociologist interested in the relationship between nature and society. Her research focuses on the making of energy resources since the 19th century and the development of energy economies in both capitalist and socialist countries. Her broader interests include economic sociology, the sociology of science and technology, and a critical theory of nature.

Sponsored by the Geography and the Environment Department.


Category

Social Science and Public Policy

Type

Talks

Region

New York Campus

Open to

Alumni

Faculty

Students, Graduate and Professional

Students, Undergraduate

Organizer

MAX-Geography and the Environment

Contact

Deborah Toole
315.443.2606

datoole@syr.edu

Accessibility

Contact Deborah Toole to request accommodations

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