Sense of place in transitions: How the Hambach Forest Movement shaped the German coal phase-out

Abstract

This article analyses how social movements shape the sense of place and influence energy transitions. It combines the Multi-Level Perspective of transition studies with the concept sense of place, allowing for an analysis of social movements at different levels linked to the role of placemaking. The Hambach Forest Movement and its network in Germany are taken as a case, drawing on 25 qualitative interviews with people related to the movement, the German Coal Commission, from civil society, and the energy company RWE. The paper finds that the interplay of activities of the network aiming for the protection of the Hambach Forest, and its international reverberations, led to the development of a strong sense of place. The sense of place was clearly reflected in the Coal Commission's final report in which a pathway for the German coal phase-out was outlined, a critical element of Germany's energy transition.