Energy in the Americas provides a hemispheric perspective on the historical construction of contemporary debates on the role of energy in society

Understanding the history of energy and the evolving place of energy in society is essential to faceing the changing future of energy production. Across North and South America, national and localized understandings of energy as a common, public, or market good have influenced the development of energy industries.

Energy in the Americas brings the diverse energy histories of North and South American nations into dialogue with one another, presenting an integrated hemispheric framework for understanding the historical constructions of contemporary debates on the role of energy in society. Rejecting pat truisms, this collection historicizes the experiences of producers and policymakers and assesses the interplay between environmental, technological, political, and ideological influences within and between countries and continents.

Breaking down assumptions about the evolution of national energy histories, Energy in the Americas broadens and opens the conversation. De-emphasizing the traditional focus on national peculiarities, it favours an international, integrated approach that brings together the work of established and emerging scholars. This is an essential step in understanding the circumstances that have created current energy policy and practice, and the historical narratives that underpin how energy production is conceptualized and understood.

With Contributions By: Michael Camp, Paul Chastko, Linda B. Hall, Pablo Heidrich, Amelia M. Kiddle, Brian S. McBeth, Daniel Macfarlane, Juan Pablo Bohórquez Montoya, Dermot O’Connor, Joseph A. Pratt, Tyler Priest, Esteban Serrani, Gail D. Triner and César Yáñez

The Commercial and Political Dynamics of the Crude Oil Industry: The Case of the Royal Dutch/Shell Group in Venezuela, 1913-1924