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De-modernizing energy justice: Ivan Illich and the struggles for pluriversal territorialities in the Global South
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DOI：10.1016/j.worlddev.2026.107343.png)
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Abstract
En 中文
The surge in energy justice scholarship over the past decade has been remarkable. Despite extensive analysis of the socioecological, political, historical, and material implications of energy systems, much of this research remains conceptually and theoretically vague, uncritical of the colonial, patriarchal and capitalist underpinnings of modernity. Additionally, it has systematically disavowed historical struggles and radical calls to challenge energy infrastructure and critical perspectives, including the work of Ivan Illich, who provided a comprehensive critique of modern institutions and the rise of mechanical energy. Although Illich's ideas maintained some recognition in some academic circles, some of his contributions have been largely neglected in anglophone academia, especially within energy justice and transition discussions. Examining examples from Mexico-Yucatan, Acapatzingo and Puebla-, this article argues that energy justice, as a conceptual discipline in academia needs to be reconceptualized as a tool for struggle and not complacency in order to lead towards emancipatory transformations ought to reject the principles of the 'modern constitution' as a given, adopting instead a decolonial perspective drawing on Illich's insights. These examples illustrate diverse approaches moving towards 'pluriversal territorialities' grounded in place-based solidarity, communitarian energy, and alternative knowledge systems, transcending the confines of capitalism and state institutions.
Keywords:
Energy justice
Ivan Illich
Modernity
Pluriversal territorialities
Decoloniality
Postdevelopment
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