How social practices inform the future as method: Describing personas in an energy transition while engaging with teleoaffectivities

Article Article scientifique Article How social practices inform the future as method: Describing personas in an energy transition while engaging with teleoaffectivities eng 2023-03-03 2023-04 author Sahakian Marlyne 0000-0003-0196-7865 637082 Service enseignement, recherche, administratif et technique (SdS) (SCSPS) author Moynat Orlane 900346 Institut de recherches sociologiques (SdS) (IRSOC) author Senn Wladyslaw author Moreau Vincent 935450 Institut de recherches sociologiques (SdS) (IRSOC) 103133 10.1016/j.futures.2023.103133 0016-3287 https://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/S001632872300037X In the sociology of expectations, the future is seen as performative in the present: how energy futures are imagined has consequences for how the energy transition might be enacted today. This contribution discusses the conceptual and methodological work undertaken to develop personas from the future, on their way to the policy aim of so-called ‘net zero’ carbon emissions by 2050 in Switzerland. Social practice theoretical reflections contribute in three ways: conceptually, in recognizing the future orientation of teleoaffectivities; methodologically, for describing personas engaged in future practices; and towards reflexivity, in how imagining futures might affect social practices today. Moving from policy-relevant to practice-oriented energy scenarios is described as an iterative process that involves different stages of consultation. The process is not without tensions, calling into question how change is understood, and revealing the strengths and limits of trans- and inter-disciplinary approaches. A social practice-based approach provided a method for rich descriptions of futures, moving beyond changes to technologies that are ubiquitous in energy scenarios, to also include changes in meanings and competencies, as well as broader socio-cultural dynamics. The treatment of the social energy futures in cartoon form and through storytelling also allowed for a more compelling and engaging representation of the future, which might affect teleoaffectivities in the present. Social futures Personas Social practices Energy sufficiency Switzerland Dewey 354.3 Dewey 301 Dewey 333.7-333.9 18 Institut des sciences de l'environnement 0DB 199 Institut de la gouvernance de l'environnement et du développement territorial TF 197 Institut de recherches sociologiques TG 122 Département de sociologie T4 false Futures 148 61caf4ea-d460-4b3c-ba1a-4d11451a7b23 Article (Published version) Public 1-s2.0-S001632872300037X-main.pdf 3343482 application/pdf CC BY-NC-ND-4.0 b94f559e1b2500d95de13234f76520c21b49ea788ef2615f6471cd6069365802 openAccess Centres et instituts / Institut des sciences de l'environnement Faculté des sciences de la société / Institut de la gouvernance de l'environnement et du développement territorial Faculté des sciences de la société / Institut de recherches sociologiques Faculté des sciences de la société / Département de sociologie

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How social practices inform the future as method: Describing personas in an energy transition while engaging with teleoaffectivities	Futures			2023	460	264

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Moreau, Vincent