Gender and Energy Transition : Case Studies from the Upper Silesia Coal-mining Region / [E-Book]

1. Introduction -- 2. Environment as a feminist issue -- 3. Silesian coal: history of Silesian industrialisation, the emergence of industrial society and its present restructuring -- 4. Silesian modernizations: analysis of the discourses of change -- 5. Coal perception in the region -- 6. Silesian narratives about the energy and ecology -- 7. The changing roles and values of Silesian women -- 8. Silesian women's identity: the might of myth -- 9. Women's activity: "I" towards the change -- 10. Post-coal Silesia - the emergence of new regional identity -- 11. Upper Silesia: towards a sustainable future?.

This volume takes an ecofeminist perspective in analysing societal changes related to energy transition, with a focus on Upper Silesia in Europe, following the closure of coal-mining industries in the region. It provides both a macro and micro view of how energy transition in societies built around an energy industry can lead to major shifts in societal and familial dynamics, and how women locate themselves in this transition period affecting the economy as well as social and environmental structures and values. Densely populated Upper Silesia in southern Poland, with one of the longest histories of industrialization, extractivism and environmental degradation in Europe, can be considered as a microcosm of regions that have undergone such changes due to energy transition. The traces of telling socio-economic changes, as well as the tangle of modernity and conservatism, are both clearly visible in the local region and society. The book documents the Silesian changes and highlights the female perspective: their culture, identities, as well as empowerment and the agency. The paradigm of feminist and masculinity studies helps in presenting the complexity and the challenges of the just energy transition. This is a topical volume, given that many regions of the world are undergoing similar changes, and is an interesting read for decision-makers, policy experts, environmentalists, as well social scientists who study issues related to sustainability and environmental/societal challenges in energy transition. Chapter 1 is available open access under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License via link.springer.com.