Oil in the Age of Technocracy

My dissertation examines both the technological and environmental policy implications of the Alberta oil sands’ status as a site of technological innovation and economic growth. It explores the recent intensifications of and potential future constraints placed on oil extraction in the Alberta oil sands via computational technologies that automate several aspects of the commodification of oil: from exploration, to measurement, extraction, refining, transportation and logistics, pricing, and marketing.

The integration of high technology into traditional resource economies is fertile ground to investigate how the arrival of technology companies to the Alberta oil sands is being positioned as a direct and immediate solution to the predicted future decline of the Canadian oil industry.

My dissertation is supervised by Dr. Darin Barney and Dr. Yuri Furuhata. It has been generously supported by SSHRC and FRQSC.