Theme:
2. Net Zero Archaeologies – Sustainability in the Past, Present and Future
Session format:
Regular session
Title:
Socio-Cultural Dimensions of Water Management in Contexts of Water Scarcity
Content:
Water management, especially in water-scarce regions around the globe, constitutes a multi-faceted topic of remarkable historical significance, integrating different aspects of life, from the ecological to the socio-cultural parameters. In addition to environmental adaptation, water management involves the alteration of ecosystems, which has created constant links between the past and the present. The reuse, modification, and adaptation of water infrastructures demonstrate their continuing role in the socio-political organisation and cultural practices and their sustainability over time shows the resilience of the communities that managed them.
The socio-cultural implications around water management in water-scarce regions, often underexplored, intangible, or difficult to evidence archaeologically, can be considered among the most significant issues for humans. In contrast to the hydro-technological approach, which focuses on the physical infrastructure of water management, the socio-cultural approach addresses the multiple ways communities ensured the water supply from access to use.
Interpreting the archaeological record of physical structures from a socio-cultural dimension provides insights into essential questions about water management in contexts of scarcity:
1. How did societies ensure hydraulic systems' operation from their construction, maintenance, and use, and what practices did they develop?
2. Which strategies and social structures were defined by the communities to manage water resources and ensure water supply?
3. What kind of social and cultural transformations can be observed among the different communities, and what is their long-term legacy?
This session intends to explore how different approaches, often aided by historical and anthropological research, may complement each other within and between case studies to provide a more nuanced insight into the socio-cultural dimensions of water management in contexts of water scarcity. Papers may focus on reports, regardless of the type of infrastructure studied, theoretical frameworks, and specific methodologies related to this key research topic, from a broad chronological and territorial perspective.
Keywords:
Water management, Scarcity, Socio-cultural adaptation, Long-term legacy
Session associated with MERC:
no
Session associated with CIfA:
no
Session associated with SAfA:
no
Session associated with CAA:
no
Session associated with DGUF:
no
Session associated with other:
Main organiser:
Roser Marsal (Spain) 1
Co-organisers:
María Fernanda Salame G. (Bolivia) 2,3
Affiliations:
1. Universitat de Barcelona
2. Uppsala University
3. Universidad Mayor de San Andrés
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