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Which energy, whose South?

How economic expert discourses construct the energy transition in the Italian Mezzogiorno

ORCiD logo with link | Università della Calabria
Published online: 29 May 2026
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https://doi.org/10.1075/jlp.25142.nic
Abstract
The current energy transition is a contested terrain where conflicting ideological projects clash over its meaning and implementation. This paper critically examines how two economic expert institutions in Southern Italy articulate renewable energy sources (RES) as a driver of economic growth, geopolitical strategy, and industrial modernisation. Combining Discourse Theory with Social Studies of Economics and a critical understanding of energy and decarbonisation, the paper performs a Discourse-Theory analysis of expert reports, press releases, presentations, and public speeches from 2019 to 2024 to reveal how the transition towards RES is tied to productivist and colonial logics. Findings highlight the social and political logic of expert discourses that enforce hegemonic energy imaginaries, urging a radical rethinking of energy transition beyond growth paradigms.
Article outline
  • 1.Introduction
  • 2.Unravelling the hegemony of economic discourse in the energy transition
  • 3.The Southern Italian context
  • 4.Materials and methods
  • 5.Findings and analysis
    • Energy transition as a catalyst for industrial development: the SVIMEZ discourse
    • The Promethean Thalassocracy of SRM
  • 6.Conclusion
  • Notes
  • References
References (32)
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