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This summer, Anthropology News will be plugging in and powering up for an issue about energy. Whether you have an electrifying tale of energy technology on Scotland’s islands, an archaeology story about what becomes of fossil-fueled power stations, a peek at the afterlives of solar-powered things in India, a report on designing cities for extreme heat, or a reflection on staying energized in the age of distraction, we want to hear it. What is energy? How does energy fuel social relations, financial values, and human needs? How do humans expend and allocate energy? And what can anthropology tell us about the ways people are working toward a more sustainable and responsible energy future?
We’ll be delving into energy transitions, revealing our electric dreams, and experiencing encounters with the engineers, designers, policymakers, oil workers, off-grid innovators, energy justice activists, and others who keep the lights on in our villages and cities. From energy flows and extractions to future visions of how we source, share, and use energy, we invite you to join us on a high-voltage journey into the human condition.
We seek pitches that approach energy from a range of international perspectives, in the form of feature stories/essays, photo essays, graphic ethnography comics or illustrations, and short sound or film pieces. Creative approaches to the essay form are welcome.
Please send a 300-word pitch that outlines the story or argument of your piece, and a 50-word author bio to [email protected] by April 14, 2023. For a photo essay pitch, please include one or two images. For graphic ethnography, include examples of your comic-strip or illustration work. For a sound or film piece, include a short clip.
First drafts will be due by May 15 and will go through a developmental process with the AN editor. Final stories will be due by June 23. Full feature stories are ~2,000 words. Photo essays comprise six–eight high resolution images and a 750-word introductory essay. Graphic ethnography pieces span up to six print pages. Sound and film pieces should be no longer than 10 minutes in length. Content will publish in the July/August 2023 print magazine and on the AN website.