Mareike Pampus

The current shift to renewable energy is dominated by globalised energy companies building large-scale wind and solar plants. This book discusses the consequences and possibilities of this shift in India, Germany, and Australia, focusing on regions which have now largely decarbonised electricity generation. The authors show how centralised models of energy provision are maintained, and chart their impacts in terms of energy geography, social stratification, and socio-ecological appropriation. The chapters emphasise the prominent role played by state regulation, financial incentives, and public infrastructure for corporate renewables, arguing that public provision should be re-purposed for distributed renewables, social equity in affected regions, and for wider social benefit. This interdisciplinary book provides fertile building ground for research in - and application of - future energy transitions. It will appeal to students, researchers, and policy makers from anthropology, sociology, politics and political economy, geography, and environmental and sustainability studies.

Connected Heritages: The Inner Life of Penang in the Indian Ocean World opens up the interdisciplinary possibilities of transnational and oceanic historical inquiry paired with granular ethnographic research. Departing from conventional land- and nation-centric approaches, the book situates Penang, Malaysia – and particularly its historic core, George Town – within the fluid realm of lateral networks, revealing the profound influence of the sea on the port city’s political, economic, social and cultural landscape. It does so by integrating ethnographic depth, offering readers an intimate and immersive journey into the lived experiences of George Town’s diverse communities, notably its two major Peranakan groups, with a broader historical and transnational understanding of the circulations that have shaped the inner life of the port city. Through the careful observation and interpretation of everyday practices, habits and stories, this singular study paints a vivid portrait of the port city’s complex connections and identities shaped by its maritime connections. In doing so, the book offers an anthropology of the everyday and its utility for developing our understanding of the ways in which people and communities in Penang perceive and interpret their contemporary reality.