Electricity is invisible and yet it has been turned into a product to be sold and consumed by society as both a necessity and as a commodity. This product, as any other product, has a visual form. The visual representations of electricity are also associated with a wide range of emotions and social practices. Electricity becomes somewhat ‘visible’ to the people when it is lost, when it is threatened, even if it is for a short time. Usually, these are times of turmoil, such as wars and natural disasters. These are the times when electricity becomes a symbol of safety and security, a symbol of home and “our” space; a symbol of warmth and comfort, a symbol of light and hope. The focus of this PhD is on the perceptions of electricity of individuals and social groups as presented in visual imagery during two moments of turmoil – Hurricane Sandy (USA, Oct 2012) and Energy Protests (Bulgaria, Feb-Apr 2013). The PhD is based on both primary and secondary images produced and interpreted during these two events. Empirical data include analysis of photographs and articles as well as field interviews from both case sites. The symbolism of electricity will be connected to more general issues of social and cultural sustainability as the perceptions of what is and what is needed intersect with questions of what might become if the perceptions and expectations remain unchanged.

Selected Recent Publications

2013 – ‘Book Review: The Ethics of Visuality: Levinas and the Contemporary Gaze’ for LSE Review of Books: The Latest Social Science Books Reviewed by Academics and Experts (online), Publication Date (upcoming)

2013 – ‘Visual images of electricity in times of turmoil: perceptions, interpretations and symbolism’, Global Cities Annual Review 2013, under consideration as well as part of the published People and the Planet 2013: Transforming the Future Conference proceedings

2013 – ‘Book Review: The Power Surge: Energy, Opportunity, and the Battle for America’s Future’ for LSE Review of Books: The Latest Social Science Books Reviewed by Academics and Experts (online), Publication Date 28 September 2013

2013 – ‘Book Review: Revolution Stalled: The Political Limits of the Internet in the Post-Soviet Sphere’ for LSE Review of Books: The Latest Social Science Books Reviewed by Academics and Experts (online), Publication Date 17 August 2013

2013 – ‘Us and the Other Us: The Two Worlds of the Bulgarian Students in Aberdeen (A Multi-Modal Qualitative Research)’, Sage Publications, In Print

2011 – ‘Modernity Reframed’, Aberdeen University Student Sociological Journal, Vol. 1, Issue 1,pp 82-92

2010 – ‘Night and Fog’, Student Journal of International Affairs online publication