Energy and Literature: Texts, Theories and Methods from a Comparative and Cultural Studies Perspective

• Applicant: Dr. Victoria Herche
• Subject Area: General and Comparative Literature and Cultural Studies ; European and American Literary and Cultural Studies ; German Literary and Cultural Studies (Modern German Literature)
• Term: since 2023
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 532147236

The central premise of the research network Energy and Literature, which is based in cultural studies and comparative literature, is that energy and literature are productively interrelated in ways that are, however, insufficiently theorized. Based on their respective fields of study (English Studies, American Studies, German Studies, Romance Studies, Scandinavian Studies), the members examine, in their projects, literary representations of energy in their cultural-historical contexts. They focus primarily on non-renewable resources such as gas, oil, coal, and uranium without neglecting, however, historical developments in energy production. For the theoretical and methodological orientation of the network the so-called Energy Humanities (a field of research that is dominantly shaped by work from the anglophone world) are foundational. However, our aim is not a mere import of the Energy Humanities into central European philologies. Rather, it is the network’s aim to strive for a methodological and theoretical expansion of this field of research. The network approaches this analytical goal through four thematic focal points, which particularly characterize the current engagement with energy in literary and cultural studies. 1. The network explores theories and histories of the concept of energy in order to discuss energy in a larger context of sustainability, climate, ecology, diversity, and identity following, but also distinguishing itself from contributions from Environmental, Postcolonial, and Material Studies. In order to adequately examine the various sources of energy from a literary studies perspective, it requires 2. research on different sites of energy, such as coal mines, pipelines, solar fields, nuclear power plants, and oil rigs, among others. 3. The network further considers energy in the context of Future Studies and analyzes how literature imagines non-extractive futures. 4. Finally, the network considers energy in the context of environmental ethics and climate justice. Beyond these focal points, the network initiative pursues the following objectives: The primary aim of five workshop meetings is to connect young researchers (PhD, PostDoc, Assistant Professors), their projects, research interests and associations. The members will benefit greatly from the international and interdisciplinary collaboration with invited guests, and the opportunities for further cooperation, as well as career and profile development that will result from these collaborations. The results of our research will be presented in joint publications (an edited volume in English, Special Issues in peer-reviewed journals). In addition, research results will be made accessible to a broader, interested public in collaboration with partners inside and outside of the university system, such as museums and cultural centers, and through a digital research bibliography and an interview series (video, audio).

• DFG Programme: Scientific Networks
• Co-Investigator: Dr. Antonia Villinger