On November 7-8, 2024 an international workshop on energy transitions and economic thinking in German-speaking territories between 1800 and 2000 will be organized in Paris. It is open to all (young and senior) scholars interested in the relation between energy issues and economic thinking in a historical perspective, especially in Central Europe (Germany, Austria, Switzerland, but also former Austro-Hungarian territories and other areas where people wrote, at some point, in German). Researchers and PhD students in economics, history of economic thought, history of ideas, history of science and technology, environmental history, political science, philosophy, engineering studies, STS, and related fields are all welcome to submit a proposal. The workshop will be held in English. Potential topics to consider include but are not limited to:
- Ideas and reflections on the role of energy in sectoral or macroeconomic analysis among German-speaking economists, engineers, or other experts.
- The role of energy in the rise of Germany to prominence during the Second Industrial Revolution, and the economic discourse surrounding it.
- The rise and decline of coal mining industry and regions (e.g. Bohemia, Ruhr area), and the economic discourse surrounding it.
- The economic and political history of energy independence, not least in relation to discussions about oil imports and substitutes.
- The historical role, management, and development of non-fossil energy sources like wood, wind, or solar power.
- The integration of the German energy market into European markets, and the economic discourse surrounding it.
- The role of economic think tanks in influencing German, Austrian or Swiss energy policies
- Energy issues and economic thinking in parts of the German and Austro-Hungarian empire where German was a common language (Switzerland, Austria, Bohemia, etc.), as well as comparisons between different geographical contexts, corpuses, or thinkers. This includes contributions on the German colonies.
The workshop will be supported by the ERC-funded ETRANHET project (https://www.centrecired.fr/etranhet/). ETRANHET explores how economic ideas on energy have developed in various market-economy contexts around the world, since the first waves of industrialization at the turn of the 19th century. It particularly addresses three key questions: (1) How did past economists (broadly defined) conceive the connection between energy, growth, and development? (2) How did they consider innovation and technological change in energy affairs? (3) How did economic discourse on energy influence policymaking, and vice versa? Areas covered by the project include Continental Europe, the British Isles, North and Latin America, South-East Asia, and some areas under colonial control. This workshop will be an opportunity to look more closely at German-speaking territories within Continental Europe.
Practicalities
The workshop will be organized by CIRED (a research unit affiliated to CNRS - https://www.centrecired.fr/) and it will take place in person at the Jardin Tropical campus in Nogent-sur-Marne (Paris area, 15-min suburban train from Paris city center). Online participation might be possible for speakers located outside Europe, on a case-by-case basis. There will be no registration fees for the workshop. Accommodation for speakers and meals for all participants will be covered by the organizers. Travel grants for young scholars might be additionally available, pending on extra funding. It is expected that a selection of papers resulting from the workshop will be proposed for a special issue in an academic journal.
Abstract submission and important dates
To submit a proposal, please send an abstract (500 words max.) with your details (name, status, affiliation, email address) to Antoine Missemer (antoine.missemer@cnrs.fr) and Henk-Jan Dekker (hendrik-johannes-theodoor.dekker@cnrs.fr), with the mention ‘ETRANHET Workshop’ in the subject of your message, before May 10, 2024. Full papers will be expected before October 15. Each paper will be assigned a discussant.