Beyond the resource curse and pipeline conspiracies: Energy as a social relation in the Middle East

Abstract

This article identifies problematic tendencies in current analyses of the Middle East's energy relations. There is a tendency to see all social relations as determined by resource extraction, use and transfer, contributing to the uniquely instable social relations of the Middle East. The combination of weak governance and geological over-determination continues to damage the region's fragile ecology. Under these conditions, social structures are incapable to react to new crises, such as the effects of global climate change. This article offers an alternative, more optimistic perspective on the Middle East's energy relations. Privileging the social over the material, calorific, geological or topographic dimensions of energy relations, it argues that social life developed in relation to its natural resources, matter and energy, but is not singularly determined by it. It proposes to historicise and, thereby, repoliticise the Middle East's social energy relations, including its nutritional and geopolitical dimensions. This reveals their spatio-temporally dynamic, rather than materially determined character. Energy is subsequently redefined into a political category, a field of social change rather than a limiting biophysical structure. The concept of Social Energy, thus, transforms nature from a constraining externality into an integral part of social analysis and transformation in the Middle East.

Democratizing Energy, Energizing Democracy: Central Dimensions Surfacing in the Debate

“…Conceptually and somewhat conservatively, most scholarly work to date has envisioned energy as something that "flows in" and "flows out", interpreting it as a "thing" or a mere "resource" (Huber, 2009)-rather passive stuff that is spiritless (Nelson 2003), essentially raw, brute and dull despite being foundational to life. Instead, the flourishing fields of social science and energy humanities indicate that we need to transcend into a redefinition of energy as a live source, replacing its conceptualization as a prime mover of vitality (Bennett, 2010) thereby giving it a new meaning in terms of its materiality and understanding energy as a social relation interwoven through the material, calorific, geological or topographic aspects (Hoffmann, 2018). This vision is encountered, for example across M aori communities, the Indigenous peoples of New Zealand, where energy is conceptualized in a holistic manner, resembling "a series of relationships in entire ways of life."…”

Efficient Methods of Market Pricing in Power Industry within the Context of System Integration of Renewable Energy Sources

“…Where fossil fuels are fairly cheap (for example, fairly low gas prices in the United States and Russia), wind turbines can compete with traditional energy sources only under favorable weather conditions and state support programs for the development of the industry. At the same time, the increased interest of many countries in environmental protection and energy security leads to the active development of renewable energy [30][31][32][33][34].…”

Developing Social Resilience and Building a Culture of Nationalism in the City of Batam, Indonesia

“…• State control that allows efficient and effective distribution (Tsai, 2018); transforms nature from a constraining externality into an integral part of social analysis and transformation (Hoffmann, 2018); where many stakeholders build knowledge and capabilities (Noboa & Upham, 2018) • Diversity acknowledgment (Shah & Lopes Cardozo, 2014) and public engagement (Delina, 2018) • Social safety and security (Høyland, 2018); cross-border cooperation (Castanho et al, 2018); and public participation (Ganbold & Ali, 2017) in transnational settings (Heinderyckx, 2015) Good environmental governance…”