Labour Geographies of the ‘Green’ Energy Transition. Foundations, Concepts and Analysis.
Stephan Liebscher
Comments
The ‘green’ transition of the energy sector is a central pillar of the decarbonisation of the economy as a whole. Replacing fossil resources (coal, gas) and the power plants that run on them with renewable technologies fundamentally changes the socio-spatial relations of labour (e. g. labour processes, labour markets, gender and race relations, political regulations, union practices). The study field of labour geographies provides useful lenses and tools to critically examine the ‘green’ energy transition from the perspective of labouring classes. In this seminar, students will engage with a selection of materialist / Marxist foundations of Labour Geographies and a variety of theoretical concepts from within and beyond its classical canon (including approaches such as state regulation, social reproduction, political ecology, migrant labour, racialisation, working class solidarity, political organisation). Based on a solid understanding of labour geographies and the green energy transition, students will analyse current policies, narratives and practices on different scales (from local to inter-/national). Hence, we use the energy sector as example to understand broader debates on green capitalism and imagine emancipatory alternatives.
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Regular appointments