Overview

Aftershocks of Extraction explores the history of Groningen gas—a discovery once celebrated as the Netherlands' treasure but now recognized as a source of profound social and ecological damage. How can the history of Groningen gas help us make sense of the Anthropocene? What can it tell us about the persistence of fossil fuels? And how does fossil fuel extraction impact local communities in the global North? Through personal narratives and research from different disciplines, this pioneering volume answers these questions by examining Groningen's experience with gas extraction, exposing earthquakes, damaged homes, and fractured communities. The volume innovatively bridges scholarly analysis with firsthand accounts from those affected. By connecting Groningen's local story to global histories of energy, empire, and climate change, it offers essential insights for understanding our Anthropocene moment and imagining more just energy futures—making this required reading for anyone concerned about environmental justice and climate crisis.

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Peter van Dam is a professor of Dutch history at the University of Amsterdam. He studies history in Amsterdam and Münster, obtaining a PhD in 2010 at the latter. He has published widely on civic initiative, sustainability, and religion. Recent publications include: Fair Trade: Humanitarianism in the Age of Postcolonial Globalization (Cambridge University Press 2025) and The Age of Interdependence: Varieties of Sustainability in the Low Countries, special issue of BMGN/LCHR, 137 (2022) 4. Marin Kuijt is a PhD candidate at the Amsterdam School for Historical Studies (ASH). His project 'Colonial Carbon: How Oil and Gas Extraction Shaped the Netherlands and its Empire' analyzes how the oil and gas industry in the Dutch Indies, New Guinea, and the Netherlands have heralded the Anthropocene. In 2022-2023, he was the chief editor of the Tot op de Bodem-newsletter (https://totopdebodem.substack.com/), which aimed to contextualize the parliamentary inquiry into gas extraction in Groningen.

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