Power Shift

Keywords for a New Politics of Energy

Imre Szeman editor Jennifer Wenzel editor

Format:Hardback

Publisher:West Virginia University Press

Publishing:28th Feb '26

£45.00

This title is due to be published on 28th February, and will be despatched as soon as possible.

Power Shift cover

Power Shift traces recent social and cultural shifts in how we understand and imagine energy, the environment, and the challenges of global warming. Across the globe, the need to transition to renewables has become the guiding reality of our energy present and future, despite continuing resistance to change. But what does this moment of energy transition look like for those struggling to make it happen in a way that benefits every individual and all communities?

Featuring brief essays on 101 key terms by scholars, artists, and activists from around the world and across disciplines, Power Shift offers an expansive, kaleidoscopic guide to the history of petromodernity, recent technological and social developments, and pathways to new energy futures. The book offers new insights into the emergent politics of energy, contrasting today's environmental and climate movements with the geopolitical contests of the Cold War era. It explores the still unfolding story of energy transition by focusing on the ongoing struggles of communities and individuals against decisions made by corporations, governments, and international organizations.

"We urgently need Power Shift if we are to find our way forward toward a decarbonized future." —David E. Nye, author of Seven Sublimes and Consuming Power: A Social History of American Energies  

ISBN: 9781959000518

Dimensions: unknown

Weight: 454g

296 pages