Which energy, whose South
How economic expert discourses construct the energy transition in the Italian Mezzogiorno
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 19225929 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Gerardo Costabile Nicoletta (0000-0001-5444-297X, University of Calabria, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2026 |
| Publication date | 2026-05-29 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Journal of Language and Politics (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 1569-2159 • E-ISSN: 1569-9862 |
| Publisher | John Benjamins Publishing Company (PUBLISHER • NL) |
| DOI | 10.1075/jlp.25142.nic |
| OpenAlex | W7162782374 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 21 |
The current energy transition is a contested terrain where conflicting ideological projects clash over its meaning and implementation. This paper critically examines how two economic expert institutions in Southern Italy articulate renewable energy sources (RES) as a driver of economic growth, geopolitical strategy, and industrial modernisation. Combining Discourse Theory with Social Studies of Economics and a critical understanding of energy and decarbonisation, the paper performs a Discourse-Theory analysis of expert reports, press releases, presentations, and public speeches from 2019 to 2024 to reveal how the transition towards RES is tied to productivist and colonial logics. Findings highlight the social and political logic of expert discourses that enforce hegemonic energy imaginaries, urging a radical rethinking of energy transition beyond growth paradigms
Critical discourse analysis · Energy (signal processing) · Energy transition · Geopolitics · Hegemony · Ideology · Meaning (existential) · Politics · Integrated Energy Systems Optimization · Social Acceptance of Renewable Energy · Sustainability and Climate Change Governance
Logics of Critical Explanation in Social and Political Theory
Nature, Society, and Justice in the Anthropocene
A critical review of discursive approaches in energy transitions
This System is Killing Us
Italy's "Southern Question"
Degrowth vs. Green Growth. A computational review and interdisciplinary research agenda
Does civil society matter? Challenges and strategies of grassroots initiatives in Italy’s energy transition
Colonialism in the Anthropocene
Economics as ideological discourse practice
Economic experts
An insurrection in energy research
Crisis and continuity of capitalist society-nature relationships
The Discursive-Material Knot
Socioecological marginality as a fix
Beyond technofix
| Citation velocity | historical |
|---|---|
| Highly cited | No |