In a New Light: Histories of Women and Energy

In the early 1970s, a German study found that women expended as many calories cleaning their coal-mining husbands' work clothes as their husbands did working below ground, making the home a site of industrialized work. In a New Light explores the vital place of women in the shift to fossil fuels that spurred the Industrial Revolution, illuminating the ways in which gender and energy intersected in women's lives in nineteenth- and twentieth-century Europe and North America.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 216 pages
Publication date: 15 July 2021
Publisher: McGill-Queen's University Press

In the early 1970s, a groundbreaking German study revealed a startling revelation: women in coal-mining communities expended an equal amount of calories cleaning their husbands' work clothes as their husbands did toiling underground. This groundbreaking study argued that the home, often considered a bastion of domesticity, had become as much a site of industrialized work as factories and mines. However, while energy studies have begun to acknowledge the importance of social and historical contexts in shaping the unprecedented energy transitions that powered industrialization, women have remained notably absent from these accounts.

In her book, In a New Light, Dr. Sarah B. M. Andrews seeks to rectify this oversight by exploring the vital role of women in the shift to fossil fuels that propelled the Industrial Revolution. Through a series of essays, Andrews illuminates the intricate ways in which gender and energy intersected in the lives of women in nineteenth- and twentieth-century Europe and North America. From their labor in the home, where they managed the adoption of new energy sources, to their work as educators in electrical housecraft and their protests against the effects of industrialization, women took on active roles to influence energy decisions.

By foregrounding women's energetic labors and concerns, the authors in this collection deepen our understanding of the significance of gender in the history of energy, and of energy transitions in the history of women and gender. Through their insightful essays, they shed new light on energy use in the past and offer valuable insights as societies strive towards a carbon-neutral future.

In a world where energy consumption plays a pivotal role in shaping our future, it is essential to recognize the contributions of women who have been historically marginalized in the energy sector. By acknowledging their energetic labors and concerns, we can create a more inclusive and equitable energy system that benefits all.

Weight: 382g
Dimension: 153 x 228 x 19 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780228006190