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Presentation by Corey Ross at the University of Bern
Corey Ross gave a presentation titled "Currents of Empire: Reflections on Hydroelectricity in Europe’s Colonies" on 27 September 2024 at the University of Bern. His presentation was part of the workshop "Critical Perspectives on the Alpine Damscape: An Environmental and Social History of Hydropower in the Alps after 1880." The event, organized by the University of Bern, was held within the framework of the SNSF-Ambizione research project on dams and displacement processes in the alpine region after 1880.
In his presentation, Corey Ross explored the rise and expansion of hydropower in Europe’s colonies during the late 19th and 20th centuries, challenging the dominant fossil-fuel-centered narrative. He highlighted the significance of hydroelectricity, examining the technologies, economic models, and knowledge circulation. Ross discussed environmental challenges like river seasonality, regional disputes, and the displacement of communities, alongside the colonial assumptions about markets and social hierarchies. He also addressed the post Second World War boom in hydropower, driven by efforts to develop (post)colonial economies and meet European mineral interests to acquire cheaper sources of energy.
The workshop, organized by the University of Bern, focused on the environmental and social aspects of Alpine hydropower and its infrastructures after 1880. It is part of the SNSF-Ambizione research project "Staudämme und Verdrängungsprozesse im Alpenraum nach 1880 – zwischen Teilhabe und Ausgrenzung peripherer Gesellschaften."
Corey Ross is Director of the Institute and Professor for European Global Studies. His expertise focuses on the history of imperialism and global environmental history in the 19th and 20th centuries. His research on the socio-environmental history of Europe’s relations with the rest of the world builds on interdisciplinarity, investigates the global, transimperial and transnational circulation of ideas, goods and people, and aims to highlight perspectives that are relevant to major present-day and future challenges.