How Far Is Far Enough? The Social Constitution of Geothermal Energy through Spacing Regulations

This article argues that the sociotechnical context in which near-surface geothermal energy is embedded draws out its characteristic of being temporarily depletable. Thereby, the minimization of unavoidable side effects, such as cold plumes, which result from the social constitution of geothermal energy, is a crucial area of consideration. Using the situation in Germany as a touchstone, we discuss how cold plumes and interferences from neighboring ground source heat pumps test the limits of the existing regulatory framework, requiring negotiations between different knowledge sets stemming from areas as diverse as planning law, geology, cultural habits, and engineering. This makes the operation of geothermal energy highly uncertain and continuous negotiations on sustainable modes of extractions a pressing issue.

The Predominance of a ‘Strong’ Economy over a ‘Weak’ Social Constitution

In Spain, the economic crisis has generated a series of restrictive reforms, slashing the level of pensions, healthcare, long-term care, unemployment, social assistance, and family benefits. The majority of reforms do not stem from the Spanish parliament, but from the government, which has resorted to the systematic use of the royal decree-law as a legislative instrument to implement not only temporary reforms but also eminently permanent structural reforms. Spain’s Constitutional Court has validated the government’s use of the royal decree-law on very permissive grounds. This has led to the fracturing of the separation of powers and the distortion of the natural mechanisms for creating legislation, contending that extraordinary measures must be taken with extreme urgency. Furthermore, the Spanish Constitution was reformed in 2011, introducing the principle of budgetary stability. After this constitutional reform, the Spanish constitutional panorama is one where social and economic provisions coexist, but economic provisions prevail, creating an imbalance between the social and the economic. This predominance of a ‘strong’ economic constitution over a ‘weak’ social constitution was clearly manifested during the crisis, when all reforms in social law were subordinated to the economic rationale of controlling the budget deficit.

HISTÓRIA, GÊNERO E ENSINO: DISCUSSÕES A PARTIR DA POÉTICA DE EURÍPIDES * HISTORY, GENDER AND TEACHING: DISCUSSIONS FROM EURÍPIDES POETICS

O presente estudo tem por objetivo a reflexão sobre as temáticas de História e Gênero, especificamente através de uma peça teatral característica do período de crescimento cultural da cidade de Atenas na Grécia. Nossa fonte é a tragédia Medeia escrita pelo poeta Eurípides que apresenta uma personagem feminina que se distancia do ideário comportamental desejado para uma mulher. Além disso, temos aspiração de expressar que a literatura clássica, uma tragédia, pode ser empregada na sala de aula de História para debater conceitos de gênero. A partir dessa obra, desejamos instigar os alunos a refletirem sobre a constituição social grega e os papeis sociais determinados pelo sexo biológico naquela sociedade.*This paper aims to reflect on the themes of history and gender, specifically through the analysis of tragedy, a characteristic theatrical genre of the cultural growth period of Athens in Greece. Our source is the theatrical representation Medea, written by the poet Euripides, who presents a female character who distances herself from the behavioral ideals desired for a woman at the time. We believe that the tragedy can be used in the classroom as it provides a reflective shift from which students can observe their realities. We want to instigate the students to reflect on the social constitution of genres in the world that we live through the Greek experience.