Roberto Cantoni | Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (original) (raw)
Papers by Roberto Cantoni
Energy Research & Social Science, 2024
Industrial economies require a steady supply of energy to reproduce and grow. Oil and gas compani... more Industrial economies require a steady supply of energy to reproduce and grow. Oil and gas companies fulfil that socioeconomic function by constantly finding, extracting and transporting energy sources. The steady extraction and concentration of fossil resources in industrialised centres requires the constant expansion of extraction frontiers and the exploitation of the environment and local communities in unindustrialised areas. This leads to conflicts where local environmental justice organisations fight for the preservation of their lives, livelihood and culture, while companies defend their profits. Thus, oil companies become vectors of an oppression that links the societies enjoying the benefits of lavish energy with those that suffer the impacts of extraction. In this work, based on the Environmental Justice Atlas database, we systematically analyse 50 environmental conflicts related to one of such companies-the French oil major TotalEnergies. Our research reveals the social and environmental cost of the energy resources that power industrial economies. We find that, despite a recent narrative focused on the company's 'greening', TotalEnergies' extraction and concentration functions remain inextricably linked to fossil fuels. Furthermore, the interests and operations of TotalEnergies and the French State are inextricably intertwined and reproduce colonial relationships of power. Our findings support theories of change based on the abandonment of colonial and extractive State models, rather than pursuing fiscal and regulatory measures alone.
Environmental Politics, 2023
Institutional theory, behavioral science, sociology and even political science all emphasize the ... more Institutional theory, behavioral science, sociology and even political science all emphasize the importance of actors in achieving social change. Despite this salience, the actors involved in researching, promoting, or deploying negative emissions and solar geoengineering technologies remain underexplored within the literature. In this study, based on a rigorous sample of semi-structured expert interviews (N = 125), we empirically explore the types of actors and groups associated with both negative emissions and solar geoengineering research and deployment. We investigate emergent knowledge networks and patterns of involvement across space and scale. We examine actors in terms of their support of, opposition to, or ambiguity regarding both types of climate interventions. We reveal incipient and perhaps unforeseen collections of actors; determine which sorts of actors are associated with different technology pathways to comprehend the locations of actor groups and potential patterns of elitism; and assess relative degrees of social acceptance, legitimacy, and governance.
Nature and Culture, Mar 1, 2023
Global Environmental Change, 2022
Given the growing frequency, severity, and salience of social mobilization and community action o... more Given the growing frequency, severity, and salience of social mobilization and community action on energy and climate issues, in this study we systematically explore the configurations of types of infrastructure, actors, tactics, and outcomes of recent opposition to energy transitions across seven carbon-intensive regions in Asia, Europe, and North America. Based on both a literature review and an original dataset of 130 case studies spanning the past decade, we track opposition to a wide range of energy infrastructure in these regions, including low-carbon options such as renewable energy and nuclear power; provide network analyses of the actors and coalitions involved in such events; and develop a typology and frequency analysis of tactics (such as litigation or protest), and outcomes (such as remuneration, policy change, concessions, or labor protections). We show that the politics of energy transitions in carbon-intensive regions varies significantly from country to country and across types of energy, and we discuss how the configurations of infrastructure, actors, tactics, and outcomes can be explained by differences in national institutions and their responses to global or supranational pressures. By bringing both a sociotechnical and comparative perspective to the global analysis of social movements and energy transitions, we suggest how goals of energy transition are refracted through national and subnational institutions and through local mobilizations both in support of and opposed to those transitions.
Energy Research & Social Science, 2022
Most of the global population that lack access to electricity services live in sub-Saharan Africa... more Most of the global population that lack access to electricity services live in sub-Saharan Africa. Peri-urban areas of large African cities, often characterized by the presence of informal settlements, exist in a kind of 'scalar limbo,' unable to benefit from either access to the city grid or from programs aimed at the electrification of rural areas. In addition, in those areas where lack of electricity access is common, energy poverty combined with proximity to the grid leads to a greater likelihood of illegal energy supply arrangements. In this fieldwork-based study, conducted through population surveys and interviews in the peripheries of Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, and Cape Town, South Africa, we employ a hybrid theoretical framework, based on work in urban political ecology and energy justice, to analyze the situation of electricity access in the two areas. We find that the planned scale, scope, and technological design of solar energy projects in peripheral areas are crucial in determining whether and how a project will be beneficial for local communities. This study provides guidance beyond academia to national and international policymakers and executives of renewable energy companies, as well as tools for a more in-depth assessment of energy justice issues.
NTM Zeitschrift für Geschichte der Wissenschaften, Technik und Medizin, 2022
Between the second half of the 2000s and the first half of the 2010s, the prospect of shale gas e... more Between the second half of the 2000s and the first half of the 2010s, the prospect of shale gas extraction in Europe at first prompted fervent political support, then met with local and national opposition, and was finally rendered moot by a global collapse in the oil price. In the Europe-wide protests against shale gas and the main technique employed to extract it, hydraulic fracturing (or fracking), counter-expertise played a crucial role. This kind of expertise is one of the main elements of “energy citizenship,” a concept recently developed in the field of energy humanities which describes the empowerment of citizens in decision-making processes related to energy issues. This paper provides a socio-historical analysis of the co-production of counter-expertise and energy citizenship in the two European countries endowed with the largest shale gas reserves: Poland and France. In my analysis, concerns over the disruption of the food-water-energy nexus due to possible pollution emer...
Energy Research & Social Science, 2021
Energy Policy, 2021
In the community of Zagtouli, close to Burkina Faso's capital, Ouagadougou, lies West Africa's la... more In the community of Zagtouli, close to Burkina Faso's capital, Ouagadougou, lies West Africa's largest solar power plant. This is a 33 MW, on-grid, photovoltaic plant. Operational from late 2017, it produces electricity for Burkina Faso's public energy company, SONABEL. The electric grid built between the plant and Ouagadougou crosses Zagtouli in its middle: however, electricity connections throughout the community are markedly non-homogeneous. In particular, most of the southern half of Zagtouli suffers from a condition known in the literature as 'under-the-grid': namely, close to the grid but unable to connect to it. The benefits stemming from the presence of the nearby plant, therefore, remain unattainable for a large share of the local community. Drawing on an ethnographic investigation of energy practices and uses conducted in Zagtouli, we employ the theoretical framework of energy justice to analyse the connection between local justice issues and national electrification strategies. We claim that the national preference for on-grid, centralised plants may not adequately respond to the need for a more just local energy distribution; and that for peri-urban areas that are not planned to be fully connected to the grid in the short term, smaller-scale, decentralised solutions may be more appropriate to achieve full electricity access.
The Extractive Industries and Society, 2018
Straddling the late 2000s and the early 2010s, and following the dawn of the 'shale gas revolutio... more Straddling the late 2000s and the early 2010s, and following the dawn of the 'shale gas revolution' in North America, European governments have considered the possibility to repeat such an endeavor. However, the great disparity of energy mixes and histories across the continent has caused diverse responses to these plans. In this paper, we focus on three countries whose governments made markedly different choices with respect to the development of shale gas and to the application of its related extractive technology, hydraulic fracturing: France, Germany, and Poland. We analyze the discursive strategies employed by advocates of this resource/technology to turn them into a legitimate and desirable option for national energy supply. For our investigation, we mobilize a combination of theoretical frameworks and concepts originating from discourse analysis (the Sociology of Knowledge Approach to Discourse), and science & technology studies (the regime of technoscientific promises). In doing so, we focus on the press and the grey literature. Our tripartite analysis reveals that the reception of shale gas was significantly shaped by the ways in which proponents built horizons of expectations, and inflected them by adapting them to different national contexts: that was ultimately a matter of discursively structured politics of knowledge.
Energy Research & Social Science, 2019
Over the last decade, Moroccan administrations have developed a daring energy strategy, anchored ... more Over the last decade, Moroccan administrations have developed a daring energy strategy, anchored by a large increase in renewables and supported by international finance institutions. In this paper, we use a multiscalar and multidisciplinary approach to examine a core element of this energy strategy-the Moroccan Solar Plan. When analyzed for its connections to the Euro-African Desertec Project, the Solar Plan illustrates the transnational governance implications of regional energy projects, simultaneously supporting European renewable energy goals and Moroccan geopolitical aims. However, we argue that an exclusive focus on energy transition at larger geographic scales can obscure the local governance implications of large-scale renewable projects. We explore such implications by reviewing how local populations were integrated into the project's design and implementation. Thus, we employ a hybrid STS/critical geography approach to explore the parallel processes of land acquisition and technological decision-making for a solar power plant in southeastern Morocco; and to illustrate how Morocco's regional aspirations were intertwined with the territorialization goals associated with the government's political centralism. We argue that the ways in which the Moroccan government constructed the land's marginality and made technological decisions for the plant illustrate how renewable energy discourses can extend existing relations of power into new domains of governance.
Geological Society, London, Special Publications, 2018
Food insecurity is an important public health concern as 2.7 million Canadians live in food insec... more Food insecurity is an important public health concern as 2.7 million Canadians live in food insecure households (CCHS, 2004). My research aimed to explore facilitators and barriers to food security among Latino mothers in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, as research in this realm is limited. My study used Photovoice, a methodology by which participants express their views through visual means. Six eligible newcomer Latino mothers were recruited. The data collected included photographs, transcripts, and field notes. Data were analyzed using latent content analysis. The study findings support the multidimensional nature of food security within the acculturation process of Latino families. Mothers show resourcefulness in maximizing the household's resources for finding culturally relevant products. Barriers for accessing these products include limited English proficiency, which is linked to their socioeconomic and psychological adaptation, access to adequate employment and income, and limited flexibility of migration policies. Recommendations for policy and practice are provided. I would like to offer my infinite gratitude to my supervisors Dr. Lory Laing and Dr. Kim Raine for their endless support, patience, guidance and mentorship. It has been a great honour to work with them and learn from their expertise and passion for health promotion and research. I want to acknowledge Sara Borquez and Yvonne Chiu, as they are both incredible women deeply dedicated to helping recent immigrants integrate to the Canadian society. Thank you for allowing me to work with the Multicultural Health Brokers, and for being the key gatekeepers for this study. I also want to thank Dr. Maria Mayan for running the extra mile after the qualitative course I took with her in providing expert advice and support throughout my research process. She has inspired me in many ways and I hope she continues to encourage others to find their niche in qualitative research.
Endeavour, 2016
Between 2001 and 2009, the area of Naples, South Italy, repeatedly hit the headlines of national ... more Between 2001 and 2009, the area of Naples, South Italy, repeatedly hit the headlines of national and international media due to the waste management crisis that on many occasions filled up the streets of the region with huge piles of waste. What soon emerged as the main bone of contention concerned the connections between the population's health and the presence of dumps on the territory. What the risks for health actually were, who was entitled to assess them, and whether pollution from proximity to dumps caused health problems were all topics that came to the fore during a debate that took place within the Italian epidemiological community, alongside the political and governance crisis.
Technology and Culture, 2017
By the late-1950s, the Soviet Union acquired a strong position as a world oil exporter, thanks to... more By the late-1950s, the Soviet Union acquired a strong position as a world oil exporter, thanks to major discoveries in the Ural-Volga area. The new availability prompted the USSR to greatly increase its exports, especially to West European countries. Such strategy was met with ambivalent reactions, depending on each countryʼs position and status on the world oil scene, as well as on their political and economic needs. In order to transport their oil to strategic areas within the Soviet Union and to Europe, the Soviets devised a project for a colossal pipeline system. This plan caused anxiety at NATO since Russian oil could be wielded as a weapon to weaken the West both militarily and economically. Beside being seen as potentially threatening for the interest of Anglo-American and French oil majors, the considerable amount of cheap oil the pipeline system would carry generated worries about Western Europe becoming dependent on the USSR for its energy. In order to complete the system, however, the Soviets needed considerable amounts of large-diameter steel pipes and equipment, which they had to import from the West. Thus in 1961 the US delegation at NATO proposed a comprehensive embargo of large-diameter pipes in order to delay the systemʼs construction. The proposal met with strong British opposition and a lukewarm attitude by a number of NATO members, and the debate soon came to revolve around 1) the definition of steel pipes as strategic items, and 2) whether a security rationale should be prioritized over an economic one when dealing with the Soviets. In this paper, I argue that the definition of what oil pipes are as technological artifacts, as well as their ultimate content, was ultimately shaped by the NATO debate on the US proposition. What an oil pipe was-or was not-and how it could be used, derived from the struggle to control or suppress commerce with the Soviet Union.
History and Technology, 2016
DESCRIPTION
Afrique contemporaine, 2017
By the late-1950s, Soviet oil exports to Western Europe caused widespread concern in a number of ... more By the late-1950s, Soviet oil exports to Western Europe caused widespread concern in a number of Western countries as these feared that Moscow could use oil to weaken their economic interests. At the same time though, other Western countries had no hesitation in developing trade relations with the Soviets, seeing this as a good commercial opportunity. The paramount example of such political nonchalance was Italy's oil company, ENI. In 1960, ENI signed a barter contract with the Soviets, causing a scandal in the Western oil world: the Italian company's act was seen as a serious breach of faith by its international allies. As a consequence, ENI's contract became a serious bone of contention in the country's bilateral and international relations. This paper analyzes the origins and development of the ENI-Soviet deal, and focuses on the reactions of Italy's Western allies and the debate it generated at the European Economic Community.
Book Chapters by Roberto Cantoni
Energy is central to the fabric of society. This book revisits the classic notions of energy impa... more Energy is central to the fabric of society. This book revisits the classic notions of energy impacts by examining the social effects of resource extraction and energy projects which are often overlooked. Energy impacts are often reduced to the narrow configurations of greenhouse gas emissions, chemical spills or land use changes. However, this neglects the fact that the way we produce, distribute and consume energy shapes society, political institutions and culture. The authors trace the impacts of contemporary energy and resource extraction developments and explain their significance for the shaping of powerful social imaginaries and a reconfiguration of political and democratic systems. They analyse not only the complex histories and landscapes of industrial mining and energy development, including oil, coal, wind power, gas (fracking) and electrification, but also their significance for contested energy and social futures. Based on ethnographic and interdisciplinary research from...
Energy Research & Social Science, 2024
Industrial economies require a steady supply of energy to reproduce and grow. Oil and gas compani... more Industrial economies require a steady supply of energy to reproduce and grow. Oil and gas companies fulfil that socioeconomic function by constantly finding, extracting and transporting energy sources. The steady extraction and concentration of fossil resources in industrialised centres requires the constant expansion of extraction frontiers and the exploitation of the environment and local communities in unindustrialised areas. This leads to conflicts where local environmental justice organisations fight for the preservation of their lives, livelihood and culture, while companies defend their profits. Thus, oil companies become vectors of an oppression that links the societies enjoying the benefits of lavish energy with those that suffer the impacts of extraction. In this work, based on the Environmental Justice Atlas database, we systematically analyse 50 environmental conflicts related to one of such companies-the French oil major TotalEnergies. Our research reveals the social and environmental cost of the energy resources that power industrial economies. We find that, despite a recent narrative focused on the company's 'greening', TotalEnergies' extraction and concentration functions remain inextricably linked to fossil fuels. Furthermore, the interests and operations of TotalEnergies and the French State are inextricably intertwined and reproduce colonial relationships of power. Our findings support theories of change based on the abandonment of colonial and extractive State models, rather than pursuing fiscal and regulatory measures alone.
Environmental Politics, 2023
Institutional theory, behavioral science, sociology and even political science all emphasize the ... more Institutional theory, behavioral science, sociology and even political science all emphasize the importance of actors in achieving social change. Despite this salience, the actors involved in researching, promoting, or deploying negative emissions and solar geoengineering technologies remain underexplored within the literature. In this study, based on a rigorous sample of semi-structured expert interviews (N = 125), we empirically explore the types of actors and groups associated with both negative emissions and solar geoengineering research and deployment. We investigate emergent knowledge networks and patterns of involvement across space and scale. We examine actors in terms of their support of, opposition to, or ambiguity regarding both types of climate interventions. We reveal incipient and perhaps unforeseen collections of actors; determine which sorts of actors are associated with different technology pathways to comprehend the locations of actor groups and potential patterns of elitism; and assess relative degrees of social acceptance, legitimacy, and governance.
Nature and Culture, Mar 1, 2023
Global Environmental Change, 2022
Given the growing frequency, severity, and salience of social mobilization and community action o... more Given the growing frequency, severity, and salience of social mobilization and community action on energy and climate issues, in this study we systematically explore the configurations of types of infrastructure, actors, tactics, and outcomes of recent opposition to energy transitions across seven carbon-intensive regions in Asia, Europe, and North America. Based on both a literature review and an original dataset of 130 case studies spanning the past decade, we track opposition to a wide range of energy infrastructure in these regions, including low-carbon options such as renewable energy and nuclear power; provide network analyses of the actors and coalitions involved in such events; and develop a typology and frequency analysis of tactics (such as litigation or protest), and outcomes (such as remuneration, policy change, concessions, or labor protections). We show that the politics of energy transitions in carbon-intensive regions varies significantly from country to country and across types of energy, and we discuss how the configurations of infrastructure, actors, tactics, and outcomes can be explained by differences in national institutions and their responses to global or supranational pressures. By bringing both a sociotechnical and comparative perspective to the global analysis of social movements and energy transitions, we suggest how goals of energy transition are refracted through national and subnational institutions and through local mobilizations both in support of and opposed to those transitions.
Energy Research & Social Science, 2022
Most of the global population that lack access to electricity services live in sub-Saharan Africa... more Most of the global population that lack access to electricity services live in sub-Saharan Africa. Peri-urban areas of large African cities, often characterized by the presence of informal settlements, exist in a kind of 'scalar limbo,' unable to benefit from either access to the city grid or from programs aimed at the electrification of rural areas. In addition, in those areas where lack of electricity access is common, energy poverty combined with proximity to the grid leads to a greater likelihood of illegal energy supply arrangements. In this fieldwork-based study, conducted through population surveys and interviews in the peripheries of Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, and Cape Town, South Africa, we employ a hybrid theoretical framework, based on work in urban political ecology and energy justice, to analyze the situation of electricity access in the two areas. We find that the planned scale, scope, and technological design of solar energy projects in peripheral areas are crucial in determining whether and how a project will be beneficial for local communities. This study provides guidance beyond academia to national and international policymakers and executives of renewable energy companies, as well as tools for a more in-depth assessment of energy justice issues.
NTM Zeitschrift für Geschichte der Wissenschaften, Technik und Medizin, 2022
Between the second half of the 2000s and the first half of the 2010s, the prospect of shale gas e... more Between the second half of the 2000s and the first half of the 2010s, the prospect of shale gas extraction in Europe at first prompted fervent political support, then met with local and national opposition, and was finally rendered moot by a global collapse in the oil price. In the Europe-wide protests against shale gas and the main technique employed to extract it, hydraulic fracturing (or fracking), counter-expertise played a crucial role. This kind of expertise is one of the main elements of “energy citizenship,” a concept recently developed in the field of energy humanities which describes the empowerment of citizens in decision-making processes related to energy issues. This paper provides a socio-historical analysis of the co-production of counter-expertise and energy citizenship in the two European countries endowed with the largest shale gas reserves: Poland and France. In my analysis, concerns over the disruption of the food-water-energy nexus due to possible pollution emer...
Energy Research & Social Science, 2021
Energy Policy, 2021
In the community of Zagtouli, close to Burkina Faso's capital, Ouagadougou, lies West Africa's la... more In the community of Zagtouli, close to Burkina Faso's capital, Ouagadougou, lies West Africa's largest solar power plant. This is a 33 MW, on-grid, photovoltaic plant. Operational from late 2017, it produces electricity for Burkina Faso's public energy company, SONABEL. The electric grid built between the plant and Ouagadougou crosses Zagtouli in its middle: however, electricity connections throughout the community are markedly non-homogeneous. In particular, most of the southern half of Zagtouli suffers from a condition known in the literature as 'under-the-grid': namely, close to the grid but unable to connect to it. The benefits stemming from the presence of the nearby plant, therefore, remain unattainable for a large share of the local community. Drawing on an ethnographic investigation of energy practices and uses conducted in Zagtouli, we employ the theoretical framework of energy justice to analyse the connection between local justice issues and national electrification strategies. We claim that the national preference for on-grid, centralised plants may not adequately respond to the need for a more just local energy distribution; and that for peri-urban areas that are not planned to be fully connected to the grid in the short term, smaller-scale, decentralised solutions may be more appropriate to achieve full electricity access.
The Extractive Industries and Society, 2018
Straddling the late 2000s and the early 2010s, and following the dawn of the 'shale gas revolutio... more Straddling the late 2000s and the early 2010s, and following the dawn of the 'shale gas revolution' in North America, European governments have considered the possibility to repeat such an endeavor. However, the great disparity of energy mixes and histories across the continent has caused diverse responses to these plans. In this paper, we focus on three countries whose governments made markedly different choices with respect to the development of shale gas and to the application of its related extractive technology, hydraulic fracturing: France, Germany, and Poland. We analyze the discursive strategies employed by advocates of this resource/technology to turn them into a legitimate and desirable option for national energy supply. For our investigation, we mobilize a combination of theoretical frameworks and concepts originating from discourse analysis (the Sociology of Knowledge Approach to Discourse), and science & technology studies (the regime of technoscientific promises). In doing so, we focus on the press and the grey literature. Our tripartite analysis reveals that the reception of shale gas was significantly shaped by the ways in which proponents built horizons of expectations, and inflected them by adapting them to different national contexts: that was ultimately a matter of discursively structured politics of knowledge.
Energy Research & Social Science, 2019
Over the last decade, Moroccan administrations have developed a daring energy strategy, anchored ... more Over the last decade, Moroccan administrations have developed a daring energy strategy, anchored by a large increase in renewables and supported by international finance institutions. In this paper, we use a multiscalar and multidisciplinary approach to examine a core element of this energy strategy-the Moroccan Solar Plan. When analyzed for its connections to the Euro-African Desertec Project, the Solar Plan illustrates the transnational governance implications of regional energy projects, simultaneously supporting European renewable energy goals and Moroccan geopolitical aims. However, we argue that an exclusive focus on energy transition at larger geographic scales can obscure the local governance implications of large-scale renewable projects. We explore such implications by reviewing how local populations were integrated into the project's design and implementation. Thus, we employ a hybrid STS/critical geography approach to explore the parallel processes of land acquisition and technological decision-making for a solar power plant in southeastern Morocco; and to illustrate how Morocco's regional aspirations were intertwined with the territorialization goals associated with the government's political centralism. We argue that the ways in which the Moroccan government constructed the land's marginality and made technological decisions for the plant illustrate how renewable energy discourses can extend existing relations of power into new domains of governance.
Geological Society, London, Special Publications, 2018
Food insecurity is an important public health concern as 2.7 million Canadians live in food insec... more Food insecurity is an important public health concern as 2.7 million Canadians live in food insecure households (CCHS, 2004). My research aimed to explore facilitators and barriers to food security among Latino mothers in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, as research in this realm is limited. My study used Photovoice, a methodology by which participants express their views through visual means. Six eligible newcomer Latino mothers were recruited. The data collected included photographs, transcripts, and field notes. Data were analyzed using latent content analysis. The study findings support the multidimensional nature of food security within the acculturation process of Latino families. Mothers show resourcefulness in maximizing the household's resources for finding culturally relevant products. Barriers for accessing these products include limited English proficiency, which is linked to their socioeconomic and psychological adaptation, access to adequate employment and income, and limited flexibility of migration policies. Recommendations for policy and practice are provided. I would like to offer my infinite gratitude to my supervisors Dr. Lory Laing and Dr. Kim Raine for their endless support, patience, guidance and mentorship. It has been a great honour to work with them and learn from their expertise and passion for health promotion and research. I want to acknowledge Sara Borquez and Yvonne Chiu, as they are both incredible women deeply dedicated to helping recent immigrants integrate to the Canadian society. Thank you for allowing me to work with the Multicultural Health Brokers, and for being the key gatekeepers for this study. I also want to thank Dr. Maria Mayan for running the extra mile after the qualitative course I took with her in providing expert advice and support throughout my research process. She has inspired me in many ways and I hope she continues to encourage others to find their niche in qualitative research.
Endeavour, 2016
Between 2001 and 2009, the area of Naples, South Italy, repeatedly hit the headlines of national ... more Between 2001 and 2009, the area of Naples, South Italy, repeatedly hit the headlines of national and international media due to the waste management crisis that on many occasions filled up the streets of the region with huge piles of waste. What soon emerged as the main bone of contention concerned the connections between the population's health and the presence of dumps on the territory. What the risks for health actually were, who was entitled to assess them, and whether pollution from proximity to dumps caused health problems were all topics that came to the fore during a debate that took place within the Italian epidemiological community, alongside the political and governance crisis.
Technology and Culture, 2017
By the late-1950s, the Soviet Union acquired a strong position as a world oil exporter, thanks to... more By the late-1950s, the Soviet Union acquired a strong position as a world oil exporter, thanks to major discoveries in the Ural-Volga area. The new availability prompted the USSR to greatly increase its exports, especially to West European countries. Such strategy was met with ambivalent reactions, depending on each countryʼs position and status on the world oil scene, as well as on their political and economic needs. In order to transport their oil to strategic areas within the Soviet Union and to Europe, the Soviets devised a project for a colossal pipeline system. This plan caused anxiety at NATO since Russian oil could be wielded as a weapon to weaken the West both militarily and economically. Beside being seen as potentially threatening for the interest of Anglo-American and French oil majors, the considerable amount of cheap oil the pipeline system would carry generated worries about Western Europe becoming dependent on the USSR for its energy. In order to complete the system, however, the Soviets needed considerable amounts of large-diameter steel pipes and equipment, which they had to import from the West. Thus in 1961 the US delegation at NATO proposed a comprehensive embargo of large-diameter pipes in order to delay the systemʼs construction. The proposal met with strong British opposition and a lukewarm attitude by a number of NATO members, and the debate soon came to revolve around 1) the definition of steel pipes as strategic items, and 2) whether a security rationale should be prioritized over an economic one when dealing with the Soviets. In this paper, I argue that the definition of what oil pipes are as technological artifacts, as well as their ultimate content, was ultimately shaped by the NATO debate on the US proposition. What an oil pipe was-or was not-and how it could be used, derived from the struggle to control or suppress commerce with the Soviet Union.
History and Technology, 2016
DESCRIPTION
Afrique contemporaine, 2017
By the late-1950s, Soviet oil exports to Western Europe caused widespread concern in a number of ... more By the late-1950s, Soviet oil exports to Western Europe caused widespread concern in a number of Western countries as these feared that Moscow could use oil to weaken their economic interests. At the same time though, other Western countries had no hesitation in developing trade relations with the Soviets, seeing this as a good commercial opportunity. The paramount example of such political nonchalance was Italy's oil company, ENI. In 1960, ENI signed a barter contract with the Soviets, causing a scandal in the Western oil world: the Italian company's act was seen as a serious breach of faith by its international allies. As a consequence, ENI's contract became a serious bone of contention in the country's bilateral and international relations. This paper analyzes the origins and development of the ENI-Soviet deal, and focuses on the reactions of Italy's Western allies and the debate it generated at the European Economic Community.
Energy is central to the fabric of society. This book revisits the classic notions of energy impa... more Energy is central to the fabric of society. This book revisits the classic notions of energy impacts by examining the social effects of resource extraction and energy projects which are often overlooked. Energy impacts are often reduced to the narrow configurations of greenhouse gas emissions, chemical spills or land use changes. However, this neglects the fact that the way we produce, distribute and consume energy shapes society, political institutions and culture. The authors trace the impacts of contemporary energy and resource extraction developments and explain their significance for the shaping of powerful social imaginaries and a reconfiguration of political and democratic systems. They analyse not only the complex histories and landscapes of industrial mining and energy development, including oil, coal, wind power, gas (fracking) and electrification, but also their significance for contested energy and social futures. Based on ethnographic and interdisciplinary research from...
The Surveillance Imperative: Geosciences during the Cold War and Beyond, Sep 2014
In the first half of the Cold War several administrations in Western Europe sought to increase th... more In the first half of the Cold War several administrations in Western Europe sought to increase the amount of oil and gas that could be made available to their countries. These arrangements aimed to boost their national economies but they were also vital to energy security and molded the management of new discoveries and supplies of hydrocarbons at home and abroad. This paper focuses in particular on the plans outlined by the governments of two former imperial powers, France and Britain; their relationships with the superpowers; and those with neighboring partners and rivals. It shows how these administrations used different strategies of surveillance and diplomacy to gain and retain control of, and access to, strategically vital oil-rich areas, especially those in Algeria and in the North Sea. We conclude that geological exploration, and in particular oil prospecting, became another tool for nations long accustomed to intelligence gathering and surveying in the imperial context, to cater for their national energy security.
Energy, Resource Extraction and Society. Impacts and Contested Futures, 2018
Between 2011 and 2015, the perspective of shale gas extraction in Poland raised enthusiasm among ... more Between 2011 and 2015, the perspective of shale gas extraction in Poland raised enthusiasm among political and business elites, and general public alike. However, in some cases, local opposition led to long-term mobilisations. When adequately contextualised, the brief “affair” with shale gas can be interpreted as a lesson in what
we term “energy citizenship.” This chapter analyses the impact of shale gas exploration in the context of a local mobilisation around the drilling site of Żurawlów, in southeast Poland. We argue that a crucial basis for energy citizenship is actors’ engagement with production of lay expertise: it not only allowed actors to participate in broader debates on energy options but also resulted in new networks being established across different organisations and scales. In the conclusion, we reflect on the long-lasting effects of the anti-fracking mobilisation for the local activists, the broader Polish environmental movement and the representatives of public administration. For this reason, we use the results of a reflection workshop organised in 2017 in Warsaw. We argue that the workshop demonstrated how the emergence of energy citizenship was influenced by the residents’ interaction with NGOs and state institutions.
Cold War Energy: A Transnational History of Soviet Oil and Gas, 2017
Hermeneutics, History, and Technology: The Call of the Future, 2023
Oil Exploration, Diplomacy, and Security in the Early Cold War, 2017
The importance of oil for national military-industrial complexes appeared more clearly than ever ... more The importance of oil for national military-industrial complexes appeared more clearly than ever in the Cold War. This volume argues that the confidential acquisition of geoscientific knowledge was paramount for states, not only to provide for their own energy needs, but also to buttress national economic and geostrategic interests and protect energy security. By investigating the postwar rebuilding and expansion of French and Italian oil industries from the second half of the 1940s to the early 1960s, this book shows how successive administrations in those countries devised strategies of oil exploration and transport, aiming at achieving a higher degree of energy autonomy and setting up powerful oil agencies that could implement those strategies. However, both within and outside their national territories, these two European countries had to confront the new Cold War balances and the interests of the two superpowers.
Compte-rendu du dossier « Exploring the Anthropology of Energy: Ethnography, Energy and Ethics »,... more Compte-rendu du dossier « Exploring the Anthropology of Energy: Ethnography, Energy and Ethics », Energy Research & Social Science, vol. 30, 2017, coordonne par Jessica Smith et Mette High. Introduction Qu’en 2018, une revue d’anthropologie dedie l’un de ses numeros aux pratiques energetiques et a l’ethique de l’energie ne saurait etonner. L’anthropologie de l’energie, et plus generalement les etudes socioanthropologiques sur l’energie se sont multipliees en nombre, surtout dans les dix dernieres annees, en constituant ce que Dominic Boyer (2014) a appele : « la troisieme generation » d’etudes sur ce domaine. Cette generation aurait pris le relais d’une premiere generation, datant des annees 40-50, et principalement representee par les travaux de Leslie White, et d’une deuxieme generation, developpee dans les annees 70 (Boyer ibid. : 310 et suiv.). Le lancement de la revue Energy Research & Social Science (ERSS) en 2014 par Benjamin Sovacool a ete l’un des emblemes de ce renouveau, ...
Journal of Energy History/Revue d'Histoire de l'Énergie [Online], 2018
Energy and Civilization is a journey through the world history of energy from the discovery of re... more Energy and Civilization is a journey through the world history of energy from the discovery of re to the latest energy transition. Smil reviews the evolution and differentiation of energy's uses and transformations, and energy's role in shaping economies. Furthermore, he evaluates energy's many bene ts and problematic aspects. However, the book presents some epistemic and methodological challenges.
Journal of Energy History/Revue d'Histoire de l'Énergie [Online], 2019
Lectures anthropologiques [En ligne], 2019 , 2019
Compte-rendu du dossier « Exploring the Anthropology of Energy: Ethnography, Energy and Ethics »,... more Compte-rendu du dossier « Exploring the Anthropology of Energy: Ethnography, Energy and Ethics », Energy Research & Social Science, vol. 30, 2017, coordonné par Jessica Smith et Mette High.
Review of the special issue "Exploring the Anthropology of Energy: Ethnography, Energy and Ethics", Energy Research & Social Science, vol. 30, 2017, edited by Jessica Smith and Mette High.
http://lecturesanthropologiques.fr/lodel/lecturesanthropologiques/index.php?id=677
Afrique Contemporaine, 2017
Technology and Culture, 2017
By the late-1950s, the Soviet Union had reacquired a strong position as a world oil exporter, tha... more By the late-1950s, the Soviet Union had reacquired a strong position as a world oil exporter, thanks to major discoveries in the Ural-Volga area. The new availability prompted the USSR to greatly increase its exports, especially to West European countries. Such strategy was met with ambivalent reactions by those countries, depending on their power on the world oil scene. In order to transport their oil to strategic areas within the Soviet Union and to Europe, the Soviets devised a project for a colossal pipeline system. Soviet plans caused anxiety at the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) since Russian oil could be effectively wielded as a weapon to weaken the West militarily and economically. The enormous amount of cheap oil the pipeline system would carry could both damage the interest of Anglo-American and French oil majors, and enable the Soviets to supply their navy at sea terminals. In order to complete the system, however, the Soviets needed considerable amounts of large-diameter steel pipes, which they had to import from the West. Thus the US delegation at NATO proposed a comprehensive embargo of large-diameter pipes in order to delay the system’s construction. In this paper, I argue that the definition of what oil pipes are s technological artifacts was shaped by the NATO debate on the US proposition. The technopolitical dispute was fought through technical reports, especially in terms of distinguishing between ‘strategic’ and ‘non strategic’ pipes. What an oil pipe was – or was not – as a technological product derived from the struggle to control or suppress commerce with the Soviet Union.
History and Technology , 2016
During the Algerian war (1954-1962), beside the war events proper, another conflict took place: a... more During the Algerian war (1954-1962), beside the war events proper, another conflict took place: a diplomatic and technocratic battle for the possession of Saharan oil resources in the name of national energy security. Its main actors were France, Italy, the US, and Algerian independence fighters. In the case I analyse in this paper, I show that the three Western-block countries used their local knowledge of the subsurface given by the collaboration of the three elements of: 1) geoscientists, 2) their national oil companies, and 3) their respective diplomatic bodies, in order to carve out a prominent place for themselves in the exploitation of Saharan resources. Algerian nationalists also succeeded in benefiting from this knowledge. I argue that this struggle for natural resources in a post-independence scenario, and the corresponding role of the geosciences in it, significantly contributed to influence the final configuration of the postwar Algerian hydrocarbon sector.
Geological Society , 2018
Since the early 2000s, the exploitation of shale gas has radically modified the US energy scenari... more Since the early 2000s, the exploitation of shale gas has radically modified the US energy scenario. In a number of European countries, the US boom has elicited questions about its repeatability in Europe. Among the staunchest supporters of the development of national shale-gas resources were Polish administrations, which grounded their activism in this domain in the language of energy security, autonomy vis-à-vis
Endeavour, 2016
Between 2001 and 2009, the area of Naples, South Italy, repeatedly hit the headlines of national ... more Between 2001 and 2009, the area of Naples, South Italy, repeatedly hit the headlines of national and international media due to the waste management crisis that on many occasions filled up the streets of the region with huge piles of waste. What soon emerged as the main bone of contention concerned the connections between the population’s health and the presence of dumps on the territory. What the risks for health actually were, who was entitled to assess them, and whether pollution from proximity to dumps caused health problems were all topics that came to the fore during a debate that took place within the Italian epidemiological community, alongside the political and governance crisis.
Afrique Contemporaine, 2017
Ce dossier d’ Afrique contemporaine est consacré à l’analyse de la situation actuelle en matière ... more Ce dossier d’ Afrique contemporaine est consacré à l’analyse de la situation actuelle en matière d’énergie en Afrique d’un point de vue historique, politique et économique. Il apporte une contribution au vaste domaine d’études de l’énergie en mettant l’accent sur un continent qui dans un proche avenir pourrait, d’après l’Agence internationale de l’énergie (AIE), devenir le plus dynamique dans le domaine énergétique1. En effet, l’énergie se trouve au coeur de deux aspects fondamentaux de l’avenir de l’Afrique : le développement économique et social, d’une part, et le changement climatique, d’autre part.
Energy Research and Social Science, 2019
Over the last decade, Moroccan administrations have developed a daring energy strategy, anchored ... more Over the last decade, Moroccan administrations have developed a daring energy strategy, anchored by a large increase in renewables and supported by international finance institutions. In this paper, we use a multiscalar and multidisciplinary approach to examine a core element of this energy strategy-the Moroccan Solar Plan. When analyzed for its connections to the Euro-African Desertec Project, the Solar Plan illustrates the transna-tional governance implications of regional energy projects, simultaneously supporting European renewable energy goals and Moroccan geopolitical aims. However, we argue that an exclusive focus on energy transition at larger geographic scales can obscure the local governance implications of large-scale renewable projects. We explore such implications by reviewing how local populations were integrated into the project's design and implementation. Thus, we employ a hybrid STS/critical geography approach to explore the parallel processes of land acquisition and technological decision-making for a solar power plant in southeastern Morocco; and to illustrate how Morocco's regional aspirations were intertwined with the territorialization goals associated with the government's political centralism. We argue that the ways in which the Moroccan government constructed the land's marginality and made technological decisions for the plant illustrate how renewable energy discourses can extend existing relations of power into new domains of governance.
Energy Policy, 2021
In the community of Zagtouli, close to Burkina Faso's capital, Ouagadougou, lies West Africa's la... more In the community of Zagtouli, close to Burkina Faso's capital, Ouagadougou, lies West Africa's largest solar power plant. This is a 33 MW, on-grid, photovoltaic plant. Operational from late 2017, it produces electricity for Burk-ina Faso's public energy company, SONABEL. The electric grid built between the plant and Ouagadougou crosses Zagtouli in its middle: however, electricity connections throughout the community are markedly non-homogeneous. In particular, most of the southern half of Zagtouli suffers from a condition known in the literature as 'under-the-grid': namely, close to the grid but unable to connect to it. The benefits stemming from the presence of the nearby plant, therefore, remain unattainable for a large share of the local community. Drawing on an ethno-graphic investigation of energy practices and uses conducted in Zagtouli, we employ the theoretical framework of energy justice to analyse the connection between local justice issues and national electrification strategies. We claim that the national preference for on-grid, centralised plants may not adequately respond to the need for a more just local energy distribution; and that for peri-urban areas that are not planned to be fully connected to the grid in the short term, smaller-scale, decentralised solutions may be more appropriate to achieve full electricity access.
Energy Research & Social Science Volume 75, 2021, 102027, 2021
An almost inexhaustible number of conceptual approaches has arisen in the past few decades to see... more An almost inexhaustible number of conceptual approaches has arisen in the past few decades to seek to explain the interlinked phenomena of energy transitions, low-carbon transitions, or sociotechnical change. With an eye for theoretical synthesis, this study asks: What do three particular epistemic communities-those concerning innovation, practices, and justice-say about energy transitions? What does this literature reveal about the injustices and inequalities of energy transitions? Finally, what can we learn by integrating aspects of this literature? The study answers these questions by drawing from responsible research and innovation, social practice theory, and energy justice approaches. Essentially the first is about the design of technology, the second how it is used, the third the broader societal and global implications. Taken together, the study offers an integrative framework capable of analyzing transitions from their "cradle" of design to their "life" of use to their "grave" of aftereffects. It explores the extent to which the three perspectives can be integrated into a meta-theoretical framework. This integrative framework is then applied to four diverse case studies: French nuclear power, Greek wind energy, Papua New Guinean solar energy, and Estonian oil shale.
Energy Research & Social Science, 2021
An almost inexhaustible number of conceptual approaches has arisen in the past few decades to see... more An almost inexhaustible number of conceptual approaches has arisen in the past few decades to seek to explain the interlinked phenomena of energy transitions, low-carbon transitions, or sociotechnical change. With an eye for theoretical synthesis, this study asks: What do three particular epistemic communities—those concerning innovation, practices, and justice—say about energy transitions? What does this literature reveal about the injustices and inequalities of energy transitions? Finally, what can we learn by integrating aspects of this literature? The study answers these questions by drawing from responsible research and innovation, social practice theory, and energy justice approaches. Essentially the first is about the design of technology, the second how it is used, the third the broader societal and global implications. Taken together, the study offers an integrative framework capable of analyzing transitions from their “cradle” of design to their “life” of use to their “grave” of aftereffects. It explores the extent to which the three perspectives can be integrated into a meta-theoretical framework. This integrative framework is then applied to four diverse case studies: French nuclear power, Greek wind energy, Papua New Guinean solar energy, and Estonian oil shale.
