Oltre la transizione: energie, economie, beni comuni

Abstract

The chapter explores the European debate on the social, political and economic anthropology of energy, focusing on the concept of ‘Energy Commons’. Through case studies and ethnographic research conducted primarily in southern Italy (Sicily, Molise), the chapter analyses the socio-cultural impact of Renewable Energy Communities (RECs) and the tensions between the objectives of ecological transition and the protection of the landscape. The chapter investigates who owns and manages energy resources, examining how local communities can exercise democratic control over their own territory. It addresses critical issues such as energy poverty, ‘new extractivism’ and local resistance to large-scale power plants, proposing a reflection on the transition not only as a technical challenge, but as a political and cultural process towards a new form of energy citizenship. From this perspective, energy is not an invisible flow passing through cables and infrastructure. It is a relational matter: it concerns people, communities, landscapes and institutions. Engaging with it means examining the material, socio-political and symbolic conditions through which the forms of our shared future are shaped and the ways in which we choose to inhabit it.