This session will be dedicated to so-called ‘petrofictions,’ a term that refers to cultural productions that address the topic of oil and its pervasive presence in contemporary societies, especially since the so-called ‘great acceleration’ (~1950-present). Petrofiction highlights humanity’s dependence on fossil fuels as an energy source, as well as the negative environmental and social consequences of oil extraction, especially in the termed ‘sacrifice zones,’ and, more broadly, the harmful effects of oil combustion and its use in materials such as plastic, including global warming and ocean pollution.

Read: Oil on Water (2010), Helon Habila
This novel explores the conflicts and environmental impacts of oil exploration in the Nigerian Delta.

Watch: Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior (1983), George Miller
This second film in the Mad Max saga takes place in a dystopian world after the collapse of civilisation, in which humans have to fight for food and fuel, yet remain dependent on oil.

Activity within the research project ECO - Animals and Plants in Cultural Productions about the Amazon Basin (ERC Consolidator Grant No. 101002359) and the working group ECOSOC/CES- Ecology and Society Lab.