Raven, P.G. (2017) Telling tomorrows: science fiction as an energy futures research tool. Energy Research and Social Science, 31. pp. 164-169. ISSN 2214-6296
Abstract
Any sociological discussion of energy consumption must necessarily deal with not only the social practices underpinning that consumption, but also the complex sociotechnical assemblages through which such consumption is enabled. Likewise any sociological discussion of climate change must necessarily deal with not only radically different contexts, but also the inherent uncertainty that accompanies any exploration of times yet to come. There are many ways in which one might narrate and/or critique such futures, but few which can handle all of the challenges mentioned above. Such work requires a medium and methodology which can: represent the social alongside the technological; move fluidly between micro, meso and macro scales; reconcile historical trajectories with extrapolated trends and speculative leaps; and - perhaps most importantly-speak across (and beyond) the disciplinary and administrative silos of both the state and the academy. This paper makes a case for the utility of prose science fiction both as a methodological tool of representation and portrayal for energy futures research which meets these criteria, and as a storehouse of tools and strategies for the critique of energy futures.
Metadata
Item Type: | Article |
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Authors/Creators: |
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Copyright, Publisher and Additional Information: | © 2017 The Author. Published by Elsevier Ltd. This is an open access article under the CC BY license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/BY/4.0/ |
Keywords: | Science fiction; Energy; Futures; Narrative |
Dates: |
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Institution: | The University of Sheffield |
Academic Units: | The University of Sheffield > Faculty of Engineering (Sheffield) > Department of Civil and Structural Engineering (Sheffield) |
Depositing User: | Symplectic Sheffield |
Date Deposited: | 20 Jul 2017 10:09 |
Last Modified: | 18 Aug 2023 11:34 |
Status: | Published |
Publisher: | Elsevier |
Refereed: | Yes |
Identification Number: | 10.1016/j.erss.2017.05.034 |
Open Archives Initiative ID (OAI ID): | oai:eprints.whiterose.ac.uk:118264 |