Trish Kahle on Energy Citizenship and Coal-Fired Democracy in the 20th Century U.S.

What do energy consumers owe energy producers? What does it mean to be a citizen in a coal-fired democracy? In this month's episode, guest Trish Kahle reckons with the costs and benefits of coal from the perspective of American coal miners in Appalachia. Starting at the turn of the 20th century, Kahle outlines miners efforts to articulate and, later, revise a coal-fired social contract, one capable of delivering them the benefits of citizenship. Thus, Kahle shows how miners, throughout the 20th century, endeavored to leverage their position as energy producers to make claims on the U.S. government and American citizens, more broadly, related to a range of citizenship rights. These included the right to occupational safety, health, and housing, all of which were, at various points, threatened by coal companies and the U.S. government's failure to protect miners and their families from the devastation wrought by coal.

You can listen to Trish Kahle on Energy Citizenship and Coal-Fired Democracy in the 20th Century U.S. online on Radio and Podcast. Open the player on this page to stream the available audio.

Trish Kahle on Energy Citizenship and Coal-Fired Democracy in the 20th Century U.S. is an episode from Who Makes Cents?: A History of Capitalism Podcast by Jessica Levy.

This episode is 45:23 long.

This episode was published on Jul 11, 2025.

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