Introduction

Abstract

This short introductory chapter explains the rationale of the book and sets the scene by identifying key gaps in existing research both on the Energiewende in Germany and in wider debates on energy transitions worldwide. The case is made that the current energy transition in Germany, though widely discussed in the social sciences, has not as yet received the theoretically informed analysis it deserves. Referring to global debates on energy transitions and ways of conceptualizing them, we set out the principal lines of research and justify the book’s focus on issues of institutional change, materiality, power and space (IMPS). The chapter then elaborates on the purpose and objectives of the book and presents the book’s structure, methodological background and line of argument.