Work

Unaddressed citizenship: Wet ontologies and mobile citizenship on Britain's waterways

Year: 2025

Type: article

Abstract: Citizenship is fluid and contested, often dependent on both locality and mobility. Through a focus on liveaboard boaters on the UK's inland waterways, we explore how water matters in the relations, skills, practices, experiences and identities of citizens, and the possibilities offered by the mobility of waterscapes to ‘unearth’ citizenship. We examine how the necessity of a fixed address can exclude those who do not conform to terrestrially informed governance structures. Challenges in accessing healthcare and voting demonstrate the difficulties experienced by such mobile communities, as well as their informal strategies to manage and subvert such socio-structural inequalities. The consequent practiced and connective watery citizenship has implications for support and welfare within this community, as the fluidity of water offers simultaneous opportunities to connect and disconnect. Nonetheless, the leaky potential of water emphasises the surprising porosity of the seemingly immovable borders imposed by the state, and helps map the hidden routes to navigate through them.

Source: Environment and Planning D Society and Space

DOI: 10.1177/02637758251406075

Authors: Agatha Herman, Richard Yarwood

Institutions: Cardiff University, University of Plymouth

Language: English

Topic: Water Governance and Infrastructure

Subfield: Political Science and International Relations

Field: Social Sciences

Domain: Social Sciences

SDGs: Reduced inequalities, Clean water and sanitation, Sustainable cities and communities

Open Access status: hybrid

Estimated APC paid: $3,900