Rethinking energy studies: Equity, energy and Ivan Illich (1926–2002)

This perspective piece has been written to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the passing of Austrian social theorist Ivan Illich. His writing remains underrepresented within the literature on energy research in the social sciences. With a particular interest in just transition research, his perspectives can illuminate the inequalities borne out of the relationship between social organisation and energy consumption. Illich's ideas are more relevant than ever within the energy research space, such as; the potential for a radical monology of renewable electricity, inequality through accelerated transportation, and the central tenet of his 1973 publication Energy and Equity, that beyond a certain threshold, more energy means less equity. This piece seeks to outline aspects of Illich's thought and draws linkages to contemporary research in Energy Research and Social Science.