Over the past two centuries, the consumption, refinement, and transformation of oil into a primary source of energy and derivative materials have profoundly reshaped our ways of living and societal systems. The intrinsic link between energy and modernity—or “petromodernity”—driven by capitalist economic growth and the expansion of goods and services has fostered a deep dependency on oil. This influence extends from the development of modern liberal democracy to the global movement of people and goods. The dominant narrative of modern progress—which integrates the expansion of human rights, liberal and progressive freedoms, scientific and technological advancements, and the rise of the capitalist industrial economy—cannot be fully comprehended without recognizing petroleum’s essential role in constructing the materials and infrastructures of everyday life, as well as in shaping our social habits and cultural imaginaries. As oil’s world making has increasingly enmeshed more of the planet in a precarious and dangerous reliance on fossil...

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