The
investigation of Dr. Elizabeth Barrios challenges the prevalent thesis asserting the absence of literature surrounding oil – a viewpoint upheld by both Western and Eastern critics. Facing the global literary criticism's difficulty in recognizing the existence of "petrofictions," she proposes a comparative analysis of novels from seemingly disparate literary traditions, such as Arabic and Latin American. Through this comparative lens, Barrios illuminates the unlikely parallels that emerge when narrating the complexities of oil in diverse cultures. Grounding her investigation in concrete facts observed within the context of the novels, such as the infrastructure of the oil industry, she explores how these novels address and conceptualize these issues. The lecture will provide participants with insights into the burgeoning discipline of energy humanities dedicated to the urgent task of recognizing and reevaluating how societies engage with materialities that wield a global impact.