SOCIOLOGICAL WORK ON ENERGY: THE OPPORTUNITY AND SOME PRESCRIPTIONS

Lacy, Michael G.

Publication

SOCIOLOGICAL WORK ON ENERGY: THE OPPORTUNITY AND SOME PRESCRIPTIONS

Lacy, Michael G.

Abstract

The opportunity for sociological work on energy is demonstrated by a critical review of several bodies ofnon-sociological work on energy. Included in this review is the crisis genre, the energy primer, the political economy of energy, the work of "renegade" scientists, and research by traditional economists. By criticizing these bodies of work, the potential contribution of sociology to the intellectual debate over energy is shown. Besides these critical comments, there are also several positive prescrip tions suggesting that sociological work on energy be critical, historical, and theoretical.