6th Energy and Society Conference

Description and Themes

The conference calls for critical sociological reflections and empirical social investigations of overlapping topics broadly related to energy transitions, the climate change emergency, biodiversity loss, and environmental pollution crises. Alongside other important themes, energy transitions and changing energy systems constitute the core focus of the conference. However, the conference moves to recognise that energy systems are connected to or implicated in multiple wider processes of change. These span health and wellbeing, poverty and oppression, biodiversity and environmental change, water, food, finance and economics, and many others. This conference seeks to address energy as interconnected to multiple global processes, crises, and challenges. The following themes are suggested but by no means exhaustive. We welcome papers that speak to the broader conference theme of energy transitions and crises as well as those that address energy as a social issue in other ways.

Suggested themes in alphabetical order:

• Climate change communication and other environmental discourses
• Conflicts and environmental justice
• Energy and diverse experiences (e.g. across gender, race, age)
• Energy in social practice perspectives
• Energy nexus (e.g. water/food/environment/climate/biodiversity/health)
• Energy poverty
• Energy transitions in a post-pandemic world
• Energy, finance, and economic systems
• Energy, health and wellbeing
• Environmental citizenship and environmental activism
• Environmental values, perceptions, attitudes and behaviors
• Food practises and cultures
• Knowledge, ignorance and scepticism
• Participation, acceptance and environmental governance
• Science, technology, energy and the environment
• Social research on energy, ecosystems and biodiversity
• Sociology and climate change
• Sustainable consumption
• Urban natures
• Urban energy transitions
• Transdisciplinary research and citizen science in environmental social sciences and energy research
• Open theme

The conference will offer a PhD school focusing on methodologies for social research in energy and the environment (the call and the dates TBC).
Keynote speeches, special sessions and workshops will also be organised during the conference (content and calls to be announced later).

The conference is jointly organised by the European Sociological Association Research Network 12 ‘Environment and Society’ (as a mid-term conference) and by the Energy and Society Network (as its 6th biannual international conference).

More about ESA RN12 ‘Environment and society’: https://www.europeansociology.org/research-networks/rn12-environment-society
More about Energy and society network: https://www.ufz.de/energyandsociety/index.php?en=46426

Registration fees:

Early bird registration (by 24th June 2022):

• Regular in-person participation: 120 Eur (members of ESA RN12); 160 Eur (non-members)
• Students, in-person participation: 60 Eur (members of ESA RN12); 90 Eur (non-members)
• Regular online participation: 40 Eur (members of ESA RN12); 60 Eur (non-members)
• Students, online participation: 20 Eur (members of ESA RN12); 40 Eur (non-members)

Late registration (by 31st August 2022):

• Regular in-person participation: 160 Eur (members of ESA RN12); 200 Eur (non-members)
• PhD Students, in-person participation: 90 Eur (members of ESA RN12); 120 Eur (non-members)
• Regular online participation: 60 Eur (members of ESA RN12); 80 Eur (non-members)
• PhD Students, online participation: 40 Eur (members of ESA RN12); 60 Eur (non-members)