Cultures of Energy

224 - Peak (Whale) Oil


Listen Later

Dominic and Cymene bask in their new mics in this week’s podcast and talk about a new Glacier Graveyard installation coming soon to the UNESCO HQ in Paris. Then (15:55) we welcome Jamie Jones to the podcast to talk about her new book, Rendered Obsolete (U North Carolina Press, 2023). We talk to Jamie about how whale oil defined the historical context into which petroleum was born and contributed to a unified idea of “energy” as a market commodity. We then discuss Jamie’s argument that Melville’s Moby Dick is a peak (whale) oil novel. We discuss the shared vulnerability of working class humans and whales in extractive industry, whaling and imperialism, whether there are traces of the past worth recovering, narratives of energy obsolescence and white supremacy, and the many afterlives of whaling in American culture. Hang in there, good people of the pod, peace and love ❤️

...more
View all episodesView all episodes
Download on the App Store

Cultures of EnergyBy Dominic Boyer

  • 4.9
  • 4.9
  • 4.9
  • 4.9
  • 4.9

4.9

54 ratings


More shows like Cultures of Energy

View all
Savage Lovecast by Dan Savage

Savage Lovecast

6,158 Listeners

Jacobin Radio by Jacobin

Jacobin Radio

1,431 Listeners

Novara Media by Novara Media

Novara Media

167 Listeners

The Dig by Daniel Denvir

The Dig

1,548 Listeners

The New Yorker Radio Hour by WNYC Studios and The New Yorker

The New Yorker Radio Hour

6,698 Listeners

Upstream by Upstream

Upstream

1,819 Listeners

How to Survive the End of the World by How to Survive the End of the World

How to Survive the End of the World

2,136 Listeners

Politics Theory Other by Politics Theory Other

Politics Theory Other

176 Listeners

Know Your Enemy by Matthew Sitman

Know Your Enemy

1,994 Listeners

The Red Nation Podcast by The Red Nation

The Red Nation Podcast

979 Listeners

Tech Won't Save Us by Paris Marx

Tech Won't Save Us

534 Listeners

Conspirituality by Derek Beres, Matthew Remski, Julian Walker

Conspirituality

2,003 Listeners

The Ezra Klein Show by New York Times Opinion

The Ezra Klein Show

15,532 Listeners

Offline with Jon Favreau by Crooked Media

Offline with Jon Favreau

2,249 Listeners

Macrodose by Planet B Productions

Macrodose

26 Listeners