Work

Hydrosocial territories: imaginaries, materialities, and struggles over knowledge, order and meaning

Year: 2025

Type: article

Abstract: The notion of ‘hydrosocial territories’ was introduced in Water International in 2016 to unpack claims of authority over a space, its waters and human and nonhuman beings. Since its introduction, hydrosocial territories has travelled and bridged rivers, regions, movements and disciplines – as conceptual notion and political action project. This contribution now takes stock of this journey. It reviews how hydrosocial territories has been used to analyse diverse spatial and political topics; how it has been articulated with different theoretical perspectives; and how it has contributed to water justice. Lastly, this contribution enquires about future conceptual and political avenues to explore.

Source: Water International

DOI: 10.1080/02508060.2025.2528261

Authors: Rutgerd Boelens, Lena Hommes, Jaime Hoogesteger, Erik Swyngedouw, Jeroen Vos, Philippus Wester

Institutions: University of Amsterdam, Wageningen University & Research, Universitat de Girona, University of Manchester

Language: English

Topic: Water Governance and Infrastructure

Subfield: Political Science and International Relations

Field: Social Sciences

Domain: Social Sciences

SDG: Clean water and sanitation

Open Access status: hybrid

Funders: European Commission, Wageningen University and Research, H2020 European Research Council