Theorising resistance in times of fossil fuels : ecological grief, righteous anger and interaction rituals in Sweden's energy regime shift

Published online: 02 July 2024The emerging shift from fossil fuels to renewable energy engages a broad spectrum of society. Through protests, social media campaigns and civil unrest, different groups seek to impact the speed, direction and distributional effects of this transformation. In this paper, we develop a conceptualisation of how such resistance is socially mobilised. We ask how people come to resort to open resistance in the context of energy regime dynamics. The growing literature on the topic highlights that declining material and social capital are not enough to understand resistance in times of fossil fuels. We suggest in this study that attention to a wider spectrum of emotions is crucial for understanding the political and ethical contestations through which changes in energy provision materialize. We draw upon sociological theory, in particular the notion of interaction rituals, to understand the social and affective process of resistance. The concept of interaction rituals captures the movement from feeling aggrieved to mobilisation of resistance through attention to the sharing and transformation of emotions. We apply our theorisation in two Swedish examples of contemporary resistance – the Forest Rebellion and the Petrol Protest – to illustrate the grievances that underpin these movements, and how interaction rituals mobilise and justify resistance. We end the paper with a discussion and comparison of the two examples, and the implications of our findings for (academic) knowledge about the role of resistance in relation to energy regimes

How justice shapes transition governance - a discourse analysis of Swedish policy debates

In both policy-making and academia, the realisation is growing that transitions striving for sustainability have to be just to be socially accepted. This insight has given rise to institutionalised approaches to a "just transition" - but also beyond these, justice is a key challenge in the governance of sustainability transitions. In this paper, we examine how justice arguments are being used in national-level discourses of transition governance in Sweden. Analysing 121 policy-related documents from 2019 to 2021, we found that justice was discursively treated in a way that essentially stifled change. Political actors attempted to trump each other's justice claims rather than to genuinely engage with them. Justice concerns that would not serve re-election, such as solidarity across social boundaries, were almost absent from the material. Based on these findings, we critically explore how justice arguments contribute to politicizing transition governance in particular ways, rendering some policy options impossible

Kinetics of PKC epsilon Activating and Inhibiting Llama Single Chain Antibodies and Their Effect on PKC epsilon Translocation in HeLa Cells

Peer reviewe

Metabolic characterization of the natural progression of chronic hepatitis B

Background: Worldwide, over 350 million people are chronically infected with the hepatitis B virus (HBV) and are at increased risk of developing progressive liver diseases. The confinement of HBV replication to the liver, which also acts as the central hub for metabolic and nutritional regulation, emphasizes the interlinked nature of host metabolism and the disease. Still, the metabolic processes operational during the distinct clinical phases of a chronic HBV infection-immune tolerant, immune active, inactive carrier, and HBeAg-negative hepatitis phases-remains unexplored. Methods: To investigate this, we conducted a targeted metabolomics approach on serum to determine the metabolic progression over the clinical phases of chronic HBV infection, using patient samples grouped based on their HBV DNA, alanine aminotransferase, and HBeAg serum levels. Results: Our data illustrate the strength of metabolomics to provide insight into the metabolic dysregulation experienced during chronic HBV. The immune tolerant phase is characterized by the speculated viral hijacking of the glycerol-3-phosphate-NADH shuttle, explaining the reduced glycerophospholipid and increased plasmalogen species, indicating a strong link to HBV replication. The persisting impairment of the choline glycerophospholipids, even during the inactive carrier phase with minimal HBV activity, alludes to possible metabolic imprinting effects. The progression of chronic HBV is associated with increased concentrations of very long chain triglycerides together with citrulline and ornithine, reflective of a dysregulated urea cycle peaking in the HBV envelope antigen-negative phase. Conclusions: The work presented here will aid in future studies to (i) validate and understand the implication of these metabolic changes using a thorough systems biology approach, (ii) monitor and predict disease severity, as well as (iii) determine the therapeutic value of the glycerol-3-phosphate-NADH shuttle

Ansätze für eine Neue Normalarbeitszeit: Ein Diskussionsbeitrag

Die aktuelle Regulierung von Arbeitszeiten schafft Anreize für belastende Zeiten und berücksichtigt nur unzureichend wissenschaftliche Erkenntnisse zu den Auswirkungen dieser Belastungen. Dieser Beitrag stellt einen neuen Ansatz vor: Ausgehend von einer einerseits weit verbreiteten und andererseits auch sozial- und gesundheitspolitisch wünschenswerten ‚Neuen Normalarbeitszeit‘, nämlich der Gleitzeit von Montag bis Freitag tagsüber, sollen abweichende Ar-beitszeiten hinsichtlich ihrer Belastung bewertet werden. Eine angemessene Kompensation in zusätzlicher Freizeit statt finanzieller Zulagen soll dann diese Belastung ausgleichen statt sie finanziell abzugelten. Damit würden auch bestehende Anreize für ein freiwilliges Verbleiben in belastenden Arbeitszeiten reduziert

Ansätze für eine "neue Normalarbeitszeit": ein Diskussionsbeitrag

Auf Basis von vorhandenen empirischen Untersuchungen, einschlägigen Dokumenten und Interviews mit Expertinnen und Experten werden die Beschäftigungs- und Arbeitsbedingungen in der Pflege und Betreuung mit Fokus auf Langzeitpflege beschrieben. Dabei geht es insbesondere um die Beschäftigungs- und Branchenbedingungen in der stationären sowie mobilen Pflege und Betreuung, die Einkommenssituation, die Arbeitsbedingungen und Belastungen sowie um Ausweichstrategien der Beschäftigten (Arbeitsplatzwechsel und Unterbrechungen, Berufsausstieg und Pensionszugang). Die wesentlichsten Ergebnisse sind: Schwere körperliche Arbeit, hohe emotionale Belastungen und geringe Entlohnung sind wesentliche Kennzeichen, wobei die Anforderungen kontinuierlich zunehmen. Teilzeitarbeit und Berufsunterbrechungen - auch in Form von Arbeitslosigkeit - sind Teil der Erwerbsbiografie, um den enormen Belastungen über Jahre standzuhalten. Diese individuellen Ausweichstrategien gehen aber zulasten der Erwerbseinkommen und Transferleistungen der vornehmlich weiblichen Pflege- und Betreuungskräfte.We discuss why current working hour regulations incentivize strenuous working times, not sufficiently recognizing scientific results regarding the effects of these stress factors. We introduce a new concept: To assess the stress and strain due to working hours by comparing it to a reference "new normal working time", which is flexitime from Monday to Friday during daytime. We present suggestions on how to assess working hours this way and how to compensate for strenuous working hours by giving additional work-free time instead of financial compensation. The most important results are: Development of the concept of "new normal working time"; Suggestion on the assessment of working hours based on the stress and strain they produce; Discussion of upper stress and strain limits, and practical implications

How justice shapes transition governance–a discourse analysis of Swedish policy debates

Published online: 16 February 2023In both policy-making and academia, the realisation is growing that transitions striving for sustainability have to be just to be socially accepted. This insight has given rise to institutionalised approaches to a “just transition”–but also beyond these, justice is a key challenge in the governance of sustainability transitions. In this paper, we examine how justice arguments are being used in national-level discourses of transition governance in Sweden. Analysing 121 policy-related documents from 2019 to 2021, we found that justice was discursively treated in away that essentially stifled change. Political actors attempted to trump each other's justice claims rather than to genuinely engage with them. Justice concerns that would not serve re-election, such as solidarity across social boundaries, were almost absent from the material. Based on these findings, we critically explore how justice arguments contribute to politicizing transition governance in particular ways, rendering some policy options impossible