Energy, Environment and Societies in Crises

The conference calls for critical sociological reflections and empirical social investigations of energy transitions and changing energy systems in contexts of climate and energy emergencies, biodiversity loss, and environmental pollution crises. However, the conference moves to recognize that energy systems are connected to or implicated in multiple wider processes of change. These span health and well-being, poverty and oppression, water, food, finance and economics, and many others. This conference addresses energy as interconnected to multiple global crises, and challenges, and will place emphasis on the discussion of recovery, overcoming, metamorphosis and cooperation amid uncertain futures.

Themes

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 and the environment as a social issue in other ways.

Suggested themes:

• Theories, concepts and methods in social science research on energy and the environment
• Energy governance and policies
• Energy nexus (e.g. water/food/environment/climate/biodiversity/health)
• Energy and diverse experiences (e.g. energy behaviours, values and attitudes across gender, race, age)
• Justice and vulnerability (e.g. energy conflicts; energy poverty)
• Environmental citizenship and activism
• Dynamics and patterns of energy consumption and prosumption (including also sufficiency issues)
• Rural/Urban energy and environmental transitions
• Communication and education around environmental issues
• War, energy crises, and implications for the well-being of European societies
• Knowledge, ignorance, and skepticism
• Social science facing climate change

Keynote Speakers

Keynote speakers will include

• Luigi Pellizzoni, Scuola Normale Superiore
• Giulio Mattioli, Dortmund University of Technology
• Marianne Ryghaug, Norwegian University of Science and Technology 
• Christina Demski, University of Bath

Formats

Presentation

In thematic sessions each presenter will have around 20 minutes for presentation and discussion with peers.

Poster

We also encourage the submission of abstracts for poster presentations. Poster presenters will be given time in a plenary session for a 3 minutes short presentation and posters will be displayed throughout the conference.

Workshop

Workshops are meant to discuss a specific issue reflecting the conference theme, or the contribution of social analysis to energy/environmental research and policy. The discussion should be based on short inputs, and actively involve participants. Interactive formats are highly encouraged.
As workshop organizer, you are responsible for the inputs, design and moderation of your workshop. In your submission, please indicate the topic of the proposed workshop as well as the planned format and speakers of the workshop. 

Participation

The conference will mostly be organized face-to-face while providing virtual attendance only for plenary sessions.

Deadlines

• Call for abstract: November 4, 2022 – February 15, 2023, 11.00 AM CET  deadline extended to 1^st March, 2023 12.00 AM (CET)
• Selection process: March 5 – March 15, 2023
• Results of the Selection: March 17-18, 2023
• Registration/Payment for presenters: March 27 - July 4, 2023
• Early bird fees: March 27 - July 4, 2023
• Late fees: July 5 - August 3, 2023

Abstract submission

Submission deadline extended to 1^st March, 2023 12.00 AM (CET).

You can submit your abstract through this form.

The following rules must be remembered:

• Authors cannot present more than one paper (however, one can be co-author of other papers).
• Abstracts must be submitted in English.
• Abstracts should be 150-200 words long and should include authors, affiliations, and email addresses

Registration

Early bird fees - March 27 - July 4, 2023

• ESA member: 100,00 €
• NON-ESA member: 140,00 €
• Student / PhD: 50,00 €
• UniTN enrolled - Scholar working/studying in Ukraine: Exempted

Late fees - July 5 - August 3, 2023

• ESA member: 150,00 €
• NON-ESA member: 180,00 €
• Student / PhD: 75,00 €
• UniTN enrolled - Scholar working/studying in Ukraine: Exempted

Please note that the maximum number of participants is limited to 180. No more registration will be accepted beyond this number.

Please note that the registration fee does not include the cost of the social dinner. The social dinner costs 70 €, and will take place on Thursday the 7th in a beautiful location among the Trentino mountains. The cost includes busing to the location and post-dinner entertainment.

Venue

The conference will be held in Trento. Specifically registration, sessions and coffee breaks will be held at the Department of Sociology and Social Research, Via Verdi 26. Plenaries will be held at the Auditorium of the Department of Letters and Philosophy, Via Tommaso Gar, 14, five minutes' walk from the Department of Sociology.

Please note that the fee does not include accommodation. 
All participants are kindly invited to make their own reservation contacting directly one of the available hotels, asking for the special rate reserved to the University of Trento.

You are warmly recommended to book your accommodation as soon as possible, as Trento is a touristic location and there could be lack of rooms.

PhD school

The conference will offer a PhD school focusing on methodologies for social research in energy and the environment. The PhD school will be held just before the conference, on the 4^th and 5^th of September 2023.

Scientific committee:

• Çigdem Adem, Ankara Rivers Study Group (Turkey)
• Bálint Balázs, Environmental Social Science Research Group (Hungary)
• Françoise Bartiaux, Université Catholique de Louvain (Belgium)
• Alena Bleicher, Harz University of Applied Science (Germany)
• Catherine Butler, University of Exeter (UK)
• José M. Echavarren, Universidad Pablo de Olavide (Spain)
• Alice Dal Gobbo, University of Trento (Italy), Local organizer
• Matthias Gross, Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research and University of Jena (Germany)
• Ana Horta, University of Lisbon (Portugal)
• Nikoleta Jones, University of Warwick (UK) 
• Mikael Klintman, Lund University (Sweden)
• Kris van Koppen, Wageningen University (The Netherlands)
• Pia Laborgne, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (Germany)
• Natalia Magnani, University of Trento (Italy), Local organizer
• Olha Maksymenko, Institute of Sociology of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine (Ukraine)
• Sophie Némoz, l'Université de Franche-Comté (France)
• Peter Oosterveer, Wagningen University (The Netherlands)
• Michael Ornetzeder, Austrian Academy of Sciences (Austria)
• Giorgio Osti, University of Padua (Italy), Local organizer
• Luísa Schmidt, University of Lisbon (Portugal)
• Maria Swiatkiewicz-Mosny, Jagellonian University (Poland)
• Audronė Telešienė, Kaunas University of Technology (Lithuania)
• Aleksandra Wagner, Jagiellonian University (Poland)

Organization

The conference is jointly organized 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 biennial international conference).

Partner

The conference is supported by the research group CoACT (Collective Action, Change and Transition) of the University of Trento and by Eurac Research.

Patronage