In a New Light: Histories of Women and Energy ed. by Abigail Harrison Moore and R. W. Sandwell (review)

Reviewed by:

• In a New Light: Histories of Women and Energy ed. by Abigail Harrison Moore and R. W. Sandwell
• Tijana Rupčić (bio)

In a New Light: Histories of Women and Energy Edited by Abigail Harrison Moore and R. W. Sandwell. Montreal: McGill-Queen's University Press, 2021. Pp. 216.

Abigail Harrison Moore and R. W. Sandwell's edited volume, In a New Light, is a recent attempt to approach the enduring gender imbalance in narratives about the history of energy and reclaim it from the embrace of the male-dominated sphere of influence. The authors argue that the absence of women from historical accounts of energy history is mostly due to the overarching foundation in approaching the studies of energy history from a male point of view, as well as the sources that researchers tend to focus on. This volume delves into the significance of women in the historical context of energy, with specific emphasis on decision-making in the usage of new energy sources, ranging from candlelight usage in British households during the nineteenth century to the process of electrifying [End Page 725] rural Scottish homes in the latter half of the twentieth century. Ranging from exploration of the changing social, economic, and gender dynamics of women in various fields—including candle lighting, electrical energy technology implementation, decorating services, and technical expertise—the contributors call attention to women as intermediaries between emerging energy technologies and the domestic sphere.

Consequently, the authors of this collection analyze the process of transformation of energy through the lens of educators, designers of interiors, housewives, and other women whose daily routines are centered around the consumption of household energy. The authors seek to extend the discussion and offer new methods. For example, Sorcha O'Brien utilizes oral histories that she and other researchers gathered from elderly women in rural Ireland, specifically those in their seventies and eighties. O'Brien documents the recollections of women who consumed energy, capturing their sentiments of longing for the bread that was traditionally baked over turf fires before the advent of modern stoves. However, these memories also include less pleasant recollections of hand-washing clothes. Furthermore, the authors locate a variety of relevant historical sources and point out varied perspectives on the context, timing, and justification for energy decisions from the female perspective. This volume shows a range of archives, official documents, online resources, print media, and interviews that historians can use to incorporate marginalized perspectives into the narratives of energy history. For example, Karen Sayer brings to the stage the women who acquired, ignited, and cared for the candlelight, thereby emphasizing the changing social, economic, and gender-based dynamics of society.

Understanding the significance of women's participation in energy decision-making is not a novel approach. Ruth Schwartz Cowan's book More Work for Mother (1983), which the contributors of In a New Light often quote, was one of the first to emphasize the significance of the relationship between gender and technology. In the studies that ensued, some researchers placed greater importance on particular technologies or energies, such as Marsha Ackermann's Cool Comfort (2002), while others consistently highlighted the significance of women's roles in families and the division of labor, as in June Freeman's Making of the Modern Kitchen (2004). In a New Light highlights the necessity of adopting an interdisciplinary approach that incorporates both gender and energy, while also emphasizing the importance of a comprehensive understanding of all the elements involved in the energy transition. While the present volume mostly maintains the tradition of outlining the involvement of women in energy usage and decision-making inside the household, the contributors also offer new perspectives on households where women were the primary catalysts of transformation. The volume's limitations lie in its exclusive examination of energy-related decisions made by housemakers in western Europe and North America, with a lack of case studies addressing similar decisions in other regions of the world. [End Page 726]

In a New Light's case studies successfully demonstrate women's adaptability to the developing realm of industrialized and interconnected energy systems. The book also emphasizes the importance of memory and oral history in understanding events from...