kth.sePublications KTH
Change search
CiteExportLink to record
Permanent link

Direct link
Cite
Citation style
  • apa
  • ieee
  • modern-language-association-8th-edition
  • vancouver
  • Other style
More styles
Language
  • de-DE
  • en-GB
  • en-US
  • fi-FI
  • nn-NO
  • nn-NB
  • sv-SE
  • Other locale
More languages
Output format
  • html
  • text
  • asciidoc
  • rtf
A Beginner's Guide To Reflexivity In Energy Research And Social Science
KTH, School of Industrial Engineering and Management (ITM), Industrial Economics and Management (Dept.), Sustainability, Industrial Dynamics & Entrepreneurship.ORCID iD: 0000-0001-8923-1312
KTH, School of Architecture and the Built Environment (ABE), Sustainable development, Environmental science and Engineering.ORCID iD: 0000-0001-9403-3513
RISE Research Institutes of Sweden, Division of Built Environment, Sweden; Department of Social and Behavioral Studies, University West, Sweden.ORCID iD: 0000-0002-7597-8359
Department of Thematic Studies—Environmental Change, Linköping University, Linköping, Sweden.ORCID iD: 0009-0000-6450-6332
2025 (English)In: Energy Research & Social Science, ISSN 2214-6296, E-ISSN 2214-6326, Vol. 127, no 104267Article in journal (Refereed) Published
Abstract [en]

Reflexivity is a critical practice in research, enabling scholars to examine the interpretive, political, and rhetorical dimensions of their work. This perspective paper explores the role of reflexivity in the study of energy transitions, where implicit assumptions often shape research trajectories and outcomes. Drawing on Susur and Karakaya's (2021) typology, we analyze hidden assumptions across three empirical contexts—aviation, electricity networks, and bio-energy carbon capture and storage. Our reflexive practice reveals common biases, including a tendency towards techno-optimism, the delimitation of spatiotemporal boundaries that may overstate technological viability, and an implicit normalization of capitalist logics that may reinforce social inequities. We argue that a deliberate, iterative approach to reflexivity enhances the robustness of research on sustainability and energy transitions, helping to uncover taken-for-granted worldviews, definitions, and methodological choices. By sharing our own reflections, we seek to encourage greater reflexivity in energy research, fostering more nuanced, critical, and inclusive approaches to addressing today's complex and wicked problems. We conclude by offering recommendations on how reflexivity can be systematically integrated into the research process to strengthen both analytical depth and transformative potential.

Place, publisher, year, edition, pages
Elsevier, 2025. Vol. 127, no 104267
Keywords [en]
Reflexivity, Energy transitions, Research, Sustainability
National Category
Other Social Sciences not elsewhere specified
Research subject
Sustainability studies
Identifiers
URN: urn:nbn:se:kth:diva-368353DOI: 10.1016/j.erss.2025.104267Scopus ID: 2-s2.0-105012895756OAI: oai:DiVA.org:kth-368353DiVA, id: diva2:1988806
Funder
Swedish Energy Agency, 50332-1Swedish Energy Agency, P50343-1Swedish Energy Agency, P2022-00172
Note

QC 20250813

Available from: 2025-08-13 Created: 2025-08-13 Last updated: 2025-08-21Bibliographically approved

Open Access in DiVA

fulltext(3095 kB)61 downloads
File information
File name FULLTEXT01.pdfFile size 3095 kBChecksum SHA-512
57a8e3d073289ab5c08302079d5d19155216825c52df382d9fdaf1d4d375e3ba3203c5b07bba7f40c87d5bb7909deb8142ded9cb03580b2170211c5b3e56e474
Type fulltextMimetype application/pdf

Other links

Publisher's full textScopus

Authority records

Christley, EmilyLai, Yat Yin

Search in DiVA

By author/editor
Christley, EmilyLai, Yat YinBjörner Brauer, HannaAlmqvist-Ingersoll, Ashley
By organisation
Sustainability, Industrial Dynamics & EntrepreneurshipSustainable development, Environmental science and Engineering
In the same journal
Energy Research & Social Science
Other Social Sciences not elsewhere specified

Search outside of DiVA

GoogleGoogle Scholar
Total: 61 downloads
The number of downloads is the sum of all downloads of full texts. It may include eg previous versions that are now no longer available

doi
urn-nbn

Altmetric score

doi
urn-nbn
Total: 882 hits
CiteExportLink to record
Permanent link

Direct link
Cite
Citation style
  • apa
  • ieee
  • modern-language-association-8th-edition
  • vancouver
  • Other style
More styles
Language
  • de-DE
  • en-GB
  • en-US
  • fi-FI
  • nn-NO
  • nn-NB
  • sv-SE
  • Other locale
More languages
Output format
  • html
  • text
  • asciidoc
  • rtf