Field-defining journal on Energy Humanities moves to the OLH

The OLH is pleased to welcome a field-defining journal to its portfolio of leading humanities and social sciences titles. Energy Humanities, which will begin publishing at the OLH in 2026, is a rigorous, highly respected journal in the interdisciplinary field of energy studies. Influential scholars have described Energy Humanities as “exceptionally valuable to an international scholarly community,” noting that: “The field of energy studies in the humanities and at the intersection of humanities and social sciences is expanding rapidly and is a global and wide-ranging area of inquiry.” 

Launched in 2020 by the Transitions in Energy, Culture, and Society (TECS) project in Canada and the Petrocultures Research Group, Energy Humanities has rapidly become an important intellectual hub for new ideas and insights about climate, energy, and culture. The journal was designed to support a growing community of researchers, with biweekly articles and commentary on current events from leading thinkers in the energy humanities and related fields. It also features video interviews with influential and emerging voices on energy and society, as well as relevant news and original essays. With funding from the OLH, Energy Humanities can support this lively community long term whilst also publishing peer-reviewed journal articles without paywalls or author payments. 

There are currently no journals within energy studies that cover the humanities and interpretive social sciences. As the editors Prof. Caleb Wellum (University of Toronto Mississauga), Prof. Imre Szeman (University of Toronto Scarborough), Prof. Graeme Macdonald (University of Warwick), and Prof. Mark Simpson (University of Alberta) write, this needs to be addressed: 

We will not achieve a just energy transition without a simultaneous social transition. The challenge before us is immense because our cultural assumptions and sensibilities are deeply shaped by the fossil fuels we depend on in our daily lives. So how do we understand the relationship between culture and energy in ways that help us move forward? The Humanities –literature, philosophy, history, and more – are generating new and exciting insights into the social nature of our environmental crises. They are helping us to see ourselves anew, and to untangle ourselves from fossil fuels. 

OLH Executive Director Dr Caroline Edwards said of the move: “I’m absolutely thrilled to be able to accept Energy Humanities to join the OLH. We have quite a competitive application process, but this journal stood out. The vision and commitment of this rapidly growing community of scholars is stellar, and it needs to be – we will not transition away from fossil fuels without the help of the humanities. These subjects sharpen our critical thinking and shape a new renewable world designed for a post-fossil fuel era.”

The co-editors of Energy Humanities have expressed their excitement about this next stage in the development of the journal: “We are committed to fostering scholarship that challenges the dominance of technical and economic narratives and brings critical, historical, and humanistic perspectives to bear on energy transition. Joining the OLH allows us to continue building an open, global platform for this urgent work—one that amplifies diverse voices, expands access, and helps reshape the common sense of energy and climate politics.”

Given the journal’s relevance to readers beyond the academy, Energy Humanities needs to be published open access – with no paywalls and no author fees that prevent scholars from the Global South from contributing to field-defining international research. The Open Library of Humanities is proud to be able to offer long-term funding and support to expand Energy Humanities into a fully-fledged academic journal. This support is made possible by university libraries, funding councils, and library consortia that support the OLH. 

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Featured image by Jasminum Officinale on Unsplash.