Analyzing the experiences of 20th-century European dictatorships and political regimes from a transdisciplinary and genealogical perspective has become an urgent task in today’s context, marked by the rise of the far right, the return of war to European soil in Ukraine, and the dependence of our societies on fossil fuels—responsible for anthropogenic global warming and whose future availability is increasingly uncertain. Aiming to rethink and intervene in this scenario, the international conference Modernity, Energy, and Power: An Eco-Energetic Cultural History of Southern Europe explores the historical relationship between colonialism, authoritarianism, and fossil fuels through the lens of ecological and energy humanities.
Focusing on Southern Europe, the two-day event analyzes post-WWII developmentalist projects and their link to the establishment of a fossil-based metabolism, while also considering the emergence of alternative energy imaginaries (such as hydropower or nuclear energy). These developments occurred in a period shaped by the global expansion of neocapitalism and Cold War tensions. This approach includes a reflection on the colonial underpinnings of energy imaginaries in industrial modernity—tracing their origins in the 19th century, their transformation under 20th-century fascist regimes, and their persistence in the violent extractivism of the present.
What connections can be drawn between the different forms of modern power and the energy regimes of industrial modernity? To what extent are energy alternatives to fossil modernity bringing about the transformations needed to face the ecological emergency? What can the political history of energy in our context teach us about addressing today’s ecological and democratic crossroads?
Access the full video playlist:
https://media.uc3m.es/series/655c8bd49b2ac01b57153cad
Thursday, November 16, 2023
Session 1: Iberian Environmental Studies and Energetic Modernity
09:00 – 11:30 h Nuevas narrativas y fuentes para una historia de la modernidad energética en España
Mesa redonda
—Con Ana Naseiro, Daniel Pérez-Zapico y Jaime Vindel. Modera: Pablo Martínez
11:30 – 12:00 h Pausa
12:00 – 14:00 h Geografías de la modernidad fósil durante el franquismo
Mesa redonda
—Con Adrián Almazán, Gemma Barricarte y Emilio Santiago. Modera: Julia Ramírez Blanco
16:00 – 18:00 h ¿Alternativas a los combustibles fósiles? Imaginarios, utopías y transiciones en torno a las nucleares y las renovables
Mesa redonda
—Con Alberto Berzosa; Vanessa Badagliacca e Isabel Carvalho (Leonorana); y Julia Ramírez-Blanco. Modera: Alberto García Aznar
18:00 – 18:40 h Pensamiento ecológico en Wikipedia
Conferencia
—A cargo de Carolina Espinoza (vía videoconferencia)