| 1. |
- Ahlborg, Helene, 1980
(författare)
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Changing energy geographies: The political effects of a small-scale electrification project
- 2018
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Ingår i: Geoforum. - : Elsevier BV. - 0016-7185. ; 97, s. 268-280
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- This article contributes theoretically and empirically to our understanding about how a transition to ‘modern and sustainable energy for all’ may reconfigure the life of citizens who live ‘outside the grid’ in rural communities in sub-Saharan Africa. My inquiry is inspired by the question posed by James Ferguson and Tania Murray Li: what do development schemes do? I analyse a renewable energy pilot project in Tanzania that was implemented by an NGO, which eventually failed to continue its service delivery but still produced important effects. Conceptually, I build on and extend previous arguments about how development projects produce depoliticizing effects, have ambiguous effects, and reproduce unequal relations of power. Building on feminist and sociotechnical relational approaches to power, I identify when and where in the encounter between energy project and local community that these, and other, effects emerge. Case study data was collected by qualitative methodology, and consists of project documentation, observation, and interviews with actors involved. The study shows how particular material, social, emotional, and economic effects emerged from the encounter between the project and local society. Feedback between technical problems, financial difficulties, and social tensions created a downward spiral resulting in system failure. It had negative effects on the credibility of actors and on trust relations. I argue that asking what decentralized electrification schemes actually ‘do’ can provide insight relevant to energy geography, as the focus on effects reveals the sociotechnical and political relations through which electricity becomes possible and how it may reconfigure local places. The case study shows why and how a small-scale, renewable energy project only temporarily repositioned actors and places, produced ambiguous effects, and maintained unequal power relations.
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| 2. |
- Ahlers, R., et al.
(författare)
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Ambitious development on fragile foundations : Criticalities of current large dam construction in Afghanistan
- 2014
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Ingår i: Geoforum. - : Elsevier. - 0016-7185. ; 54, s. 49-58
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- High social, environmental and financial costs of dam construction during the past century provide valuable lessons for improving large infrastructure governance and enhancing dam safety. The Italian Vajont dam tragedy in 1963, for example, where the urgency to boost post-war economic development overruled cautionary site selection and reservoir filling, led to improved safety regulations. Today, Afghanistan is facing similar pressure to spur economic development. Revisiting Afghanistan's own dam history may inform decision-making over large scale dam development. For this, we refer to dam development in Afghanistan during the Cold War institutional constellation, which combined with the discourse on the role of dams in state formation, modernisation and development, profoundly shaped Afghanistan's landscape. Current dam development shows little evidence that any historic reflection is taking place; instead the discourse of infrastructure-as-prerequisite-for-development is consistently repeated. We argue that four factors compromise dam development in Afghanistan today: (1) lack of security; (2) an institutional context under transition; (3) absence of transboundary dialogue and agreements and (4) uncertain and fragmented aid provision. The complexity of dam development and operation is exacerbated by the extended temporal and spatial scale of their impact, thus placing a heavy burden on management- and planning capacity. Given these conditions, these dam development plans are built on fragile institutional foundations. To address their feasibility under such circumstances this paper links lessons from the past with the criticalities in future Afghan dam development.
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| 3. |
- Fischer, Anke, et al.
(författare)
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Information technology and the optimisation of experience - The role of mobile devices and social media in human-nature interactions
- 2021
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Ingår i: Geoforum. - : Elsevier BV. - 0016-7185. ; 122, s. 55-62
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Information technologies have seeped their way into every aspect of our lives, mediating interactions between ourselves and our environments. They are becoming an important part of human-nature interactions, with smartphones, their apps and social media offering new ways to plan, navigate and share experiences. This article explores the changes that these mobile media technologies bring to human-nature interactions, focusing on the outdoor practices of experienced outdoor users. Drawing on observational and interview data gathered in the Scottish Highlands, we analysed hillwalkers', mountain bikers' and nature photographers' interactions with mobile media technology. Using social practice theory and the idea of technologies as 'scripts', we found that the increased availability of information reportedly enhanced access to, confidence in and knowledge about outdoor practices. Participants negotiated the use of devices within social norms of good practice, but generally showed enthusiasm for the ever-increasing access to information. The easy access to information and the ability to share one's performance, inscripted in the technology, guided the participants to optimise their experience. Paradoxically, this optimisation seemed to reduce the likelihood of encountering unanticipated situations that would have made their experience memorable, something our participants had previusly identified as an important aspect of their outdoor activities. Our findings illustrate the value of an in-depth empirical understanding of lived experiences, revealing how interactions between technological scripts, personal agency and social norms amplify some aspects of human-nature interactions while attenuating others. Although incremental, these changes fundamentally alter the character of our experience of nature.
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| 4. |
- Simon, David, 1957
(författare)
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Commentary on ‘Habitability and Design: Radical interdependence and the remaking of cities’, by Arturo Escobar
- 2019
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Ingår i: Geoforum. - : Elsevier BV. - 0016-7185. ; 101, s. 218-221
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Tidskriftsartikel (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- This commentary reflects in critical friendly terms on Arturo Escobar's Geoforum Annual Lecture, ‘Habitability and Design: Radical interdependence and the remaking of cities', delivered at the 2018 Association of American Geographers' annual meeting, New Orleans. It provides an extended and elaborated version of my oral commentary during the conference session.
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