Cultures of Energy

Cymene and Dominic report from Berlin, a land of feisty wasps (which are possibly bees) and haunted lakes. Then (16:38) we are so thrilled to welcome Queen of Ecodelia, Stacy Alaimo back to the podcast to discuss her brand new book The Abyss Stares Back: Encounters with Deep-Sea Life (U Minnesota Press, 2025). We talk about the history of the deep sea as a space of military, capitalist and scientific interest as well as a place of wonder and reflection. Stacy explains that the question of what it would take to provoke concern about life at the bottom of the sea inspired the project and why she became interested in creaturely aesthetics as a way of exploring the deep sea. We talk about the oceanic abyss as experimental space and foil for the extraterrestrial abyss and the critical potential of focusing on the richness of abyssal earthly life in contrast to the hypermasculinist mineral fantasies imposed on places like Mars. From there we talk about jellyfish and suffrage, the virtues of staying ignorant in the interpretive process, the limits of the sublime as analytic, and, of course, the importance of practicing ecodelia against the Anthropocene. What deep sea creature is Stacy eyeing for her next incarnation? You’ll have to listen to find out!

In this engaging discussion, Mark Goodale, an expert on Bolivia and author of the upcoming book on the lithium boom, dives into the history of extractivism in Bolivia. He introduces the concept of 'flexible extractivism,' demonstrating how it intertwines with Bolivia's gas exploration legacy. The conversation takes an intriguing turn as he examines the role of Silicon Valley in the lithium landscape and critiques the energy transition's continuation of petrostate logic, all while advocating for more sustainable futures.

Dominic and Cymene complete their stint in paradise on this week’s podcast. We review some highlights from the final lap including multispecies erotica (snail edition) and Cymene’s first karaoke performance. Then (19:04) we are thrilled to welcome Rafico Ruiz (https://raficoruiz.info) to the conversation, the author of Slow Disturbance (Duke UP, 2021) who is finalizing a new book project Phase State Earth, which uses the different phase states of water to track the impact of shifting climatological conditions upon the earth. Rafi explains how a chance encounter with a bottle of water got him interested in ice and tells us the unbelievable story of a 1970s plan to tow icebergs to Saudi Arabia and what it says about resource imaginaries and water crises then and now. We move from there to talking about carbon subjects, climate change and global warming as a new settler in the Arctic. We hear about a new project, Arctic Infrastructures: A Damaged Field Guide and its experimental take on communicative infrastructure. Then we close talk about drifting, temperate privilege and the importance of recognizing Indigenous sovereignty claims in the North.

Cymene and Dominic check in briefly from Italy on this week's podcast, begging your pardon for the lack of a guest and the double-helping of co-host chat time. But there is an Italian train-to-convent adventure to share as well as an update from this week Undercurrents conference in Venice and thoughts on season 2 of The Rehearsal. Back in two weeks with more excellent guests!

Cymene and Dominic arrive in Italy just in time for the naming of another Chicagoan as pope and discover the wonders of street to table cuisine. Then (15:41) we welcome the amazing Candace Fujikane to the podcast to talk about her book Mapping Abundance for a Planetary Future: Kanaka Maoli and Critical Settler Cartographies in Hawai’i (Duke University Press, 2021). We start with the Hawaiian conception of abundance and why capitalism fears it. From there we move to mapping as narrative, how old maps can aid struggles for environmental justice and regeneration and the friction between laws of private property and the laws of akua (the elemental forms of the world). We discuss the powers of recognition that the earth holds, the way the settler military complex in Hawai’i threatens water and lives, and how programs of mutual care take better care of us than national security measures. We wrap up by talking about the Hawai’ian practice of kilo—keen observation of the world—and how its practitioners help us to understand phenomena like climate change and the elements.

Cymene tells us about her struggles to get a passing grade in art class in this week’s podcast. And then (15:20) we welcome a dear friend, Marina Peterson from UT-Austin, to the podcast. We start with her book Atmospheric Noise: The Indefinite Urbanism of Los Angeles (Duke UP) and its study of the making of atmospheres and noise pollution and how it helps us to attune to less earthbound dimensions of cities. We talk about her idea of using glitches to navigate the boundaries of science, art and ethnography. And we turn from there to new projects on cloud-seeding in LA, how the elements impact urban existence, folding and frequency. More on Yum Yum here. Hang in there, everyone, peace and love.

Cymene communes with Californian nature (slugs and all) on this edition of the podcast. Then (14:33) we welcome Radha D’Souza and Jonas Staal to the podcast to talk about their amazing project, the Court for Intergenerational Climate Crimes (CICC). The CICC aims to put the law itself on trial by creating new laws and juridical mechanisms capable of actually holding states and corporations to account for their role in the climate emergency. We discuss Radha’s pathbreaking book, What’s Wrong with Rights? and how it traces modern rights discourse back to colonial principles and institutions. Jonas explains how organizational art can advance the cause of emancipatory politics through experiments like the CICC. Finally, we explore how it helps the climate struggle to understand that we have never left the colonial period and its pioneering military industrial and corporate state forms of governance. Please check out their book detailing our alternative legal framework and judgements: https://framerframed.nl/en/dossier/boekwinkel-selectie-court-for-intergenerational-climate-crimes/ And here is the main link to the public hearings of the next iteration of the CICC happening right now in London, The British East India Company on Trial: https://www.serpentinegalleries.org/whats-on/court-for-intergenerational-climate-crimes-cicc/ Hang in there, everyone, peace and love.

Cymene and Dominic advise universities on how to handle blackmailers and wish a certain daughter a happy birthday on this sweet sixteen episode of the podcast. Then (13:40) Dominic chats with the brilliant Thea Riofrancos about her new book Extraction: The Frontiers of Green Capitalism (now available for pre-order from WW Norton here). We start with extraction as a difficult topic for the Left and then turn toward why people are talking so much about "critical minerals" of late. We discuss her travels to lithium frontiers like Chile and Nevada and Thea puts forth an important distinction between extraction and extractivism. Thea explains how resistance can be world-making, and how writing for broad audiences makes you a sharper theorist. We close with the backstory to one of her latest collaborative projects, the Climate and Community Institute, how it grew out of pandemic-era efforts to catalyze a green stimulus, and how it now acts, among other things, to shape green policy and build supply-chain solidarity.

Even though Cymene and Dominic clearly dislike billionaires they sure seemed enchanted by pirate gold in this episode of the podcast. Then (16:44) we talk to Jerry Zee about where he got the idea to pursue a political anthropology of strange weather in China. We discuss his recent book Continent in Dust: Experiments in a Chinese Weather System (U California Press, 2022) and how sand becomes a “theory machine” as Jerry documents efforts by scientists to keep Chinese cities unburied by encroaching deserts. We talk about the Chinese concept of “wind sand” and how an ethnography of China looks different when it is focused on sky rather than land. We turn from there to how state socialism has been reorganizing itself in China in recent decades and the potential of socialist ecological civilization to become the next phase of Chinese socialism. We close with what bad weather can teach us about different modes of political collectivity and Jerry’s latest project on understanding the New Cold War between China and the USA through atmospheres, river systems and landscapes. Hang in there, folks, peace and love 😊

In this engaging discussion, Jamie Jones, author of "Rendered Obsolete," delves into the intertwined histories of whaling and petroleum. She highlights how whale oil influenced America’s energy narrative and critiques the romanticization of whaling culture. The conversation touches on Herman Melville's "Moby Dick" as a reflection of energy dynamics, the ethical implications of extraction, and the shared vulnerabilities of whales and marginalized communities. Jones argues for recovering lost narratives while exploring the lasting impact of the whaling legacy in contemporary society.