Paper short abstract:

This theoretical paper analyses the ways in which the « energy transition » is defined, problematized and debated.

Paper long abstract:

This theoretical paper analyses the ways in which the « energy transition » is defined, problematized and debated. Drawing mostly on examples from western democracies, I identify some of the common logics of depoliticization (technocratic, scientific, discursive, aesthetic, corporate depoliticization) and their consequences on the capacity to design innovative and socially embedded solutions for current energy problems. As depoliticization tends to restrict the scope of a debate, it forecloses the number of possible energy alternatives and future scenarios. Identifying such mechanisms of dispossession is a step towards new political engagements with energy systems.