Publications
Hydro-social transformations in the Lake Urmia basin, Iran PhD Thesis
Ženko, Maja
Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, 2020, ISBN: 9788449094439.
Abstract | Links | BibTeX | Tags: Hydro-social territory, Political ecology, vulnerability
@phdthesis{Zenko2020,
title = {Hydro-social transformations in the Lake Urmia basin, Iran},
author = {Maja \v{Z}enko},
url = {http://hdl.handle.net/10803/670989},
isbn = {9788449094439},
year = {2020},
date = {2020-01-01},
pages = {128},
school = {Universitat Aut\`{o}noma de Barcelona},
abstract = {Large-scale anthropogenic alterations of water flows through hydraulic infrastructure are the manifestation of hydro-social imaginaries of politically and socially powerful groups and often produce a profoundly unequal distribution of burdens and benefits for different social groups or regions, reflecting their social and political power. Those that are marginalized can suffer manufactured water scarcity, which disturbs the natural, economic and socio-political order of those water users, thereby severely affecting their livelihoods. It is downstream communities that are often the ones whose socio-natural environment is most affected by alterations of water flows, while also receiving the least benefits that such projects create. Informed by the field of political ecology, this thesis builds on extensive fieldwork undertaken in the Lake Urmia basin in north-western Iran to investigate the complex relationship between water and society, focusing on the various effects of the manufactured water scarcity on the disadvantaged downstream water users. First, the thesis problematizes the unequal vulnerability of the members of different ethnic minorities facing the same environmental disaster and links this with social and political power dynamics at the state level. It identifies the key elements that lead to the enhanced vulnerability of one ethnic group versus another and traces the historical dynamics of empowerment and marginalization of the two at the state level to explore the processes that led to their current differential status. It argues that the understanding of the development of unequal power relations within a society at the macro-level is key to reducing this inequality at the micro, or household, level. Second, it uses the lens of hydro-social territories to analyze the contested nature of the reconstructions of such territories, especially through the process of governmentalization, and links this with the under-researched impacts on mental health. This is done by identifying the pathways through which manufactured water scarcity leads to psychological disorders experienced by disadvantaged water users. Finally, adopting the lens of hydro-social cycle and waterscape, the thesis explores how waterscapes are produced by advancing particular narratives of meanings, values, and roles of water employed by the dominant groups, while profoundly undermining local and traditional water practices. It further suggests how the concepts of waterscape and hydro-social cycle could inform paradigms and tools currently in use in policy-making to become more inclusive and encompass the interests of all stakeholders.},
keywords = {Hydro-social territory, Political ecology, vulnerability},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {phdthesis}
}
Large-scale anthropogenic alterations of water flows through hydraulic infrastructure are the manifestation of hydro-social imaginaries of politically and socially powerful groups and often produce a profoundly unequal distribution of burdens and benefits for different social groups or regions, reflecting their social and political power. Those that are marginalized can suffer manufactured water scarcity, which disturbs the natural, economic and socio-political order of those water users, thereby severely affecting their livelihoods. It is downstream communities that are often the ones whose socio-natural environment is most affected by alterations of water flows, while also receiving the least benefits that such projects create. Informed by the field of political ecology, this thesis builds on extensive fieldwork undertaken in the Lake Urmia basin in north-western Iran to investigate the complex relationship between water and society, focusing on the various effects of the manufactured water scarcity on the disadvantaged downstream water users. First, the thesis problematizes the unequal vulnerability of the members of different ethnic minorities facing the same environmental disaster and links this with social and political power dynamics at the state level. It identifies the key elements that lead to the enhanced vulnerability of one ethnic group versus another and traces the historical dynamics of empowerment and marginalization of the two at the state level to explore the processes that led to their current differential status. It argues that the understanding of the development of unequal power relations within a society at the macro-level is key to reducing this inequality at the micro, or household, level. Second, it uses the lens of hydro-social territories to analyze the contested nature of the reconstructions of such territories, especially through the process of governmentalization, and links this with the under-researched impacts on mental health. This is done by identifying the pathways through which manufactured water scarcity leads to psychological disorders experienced by disadvantaged water users. Finally, adopting the lens of hydro-social cycle and waterscape, the thesis explores how waterscapes are produced by advancing particular narratives of meanings, values, and roles of water employed by the dominant groups, while profoundly undermining local and traditional water practices. It further suggests how the concepts of waterscape and hydro-social cycle could inform paradigms and tools currently in use in policy-making to become more inclusive and encompass the interests of all stakeholders.
The unequal vulnerability of Kurdish and Azeri minorities in the case of the degradation of Lake Urmia, Iran Journal Article
Zenko, Maja; Uležić, Sanjin
In: Journal of Political Ecology, 26 (1), pp. 167–183, 2019, ISSN: 1073-0451.
Abstract | Links | BibTeX | Tags: environmental degradation, ethnicity, Iran, Lake Urmia, minorities, political power, vulnerability
@article{Zenko2019,
title = {The unequal vulnerability of Kurdish and Azeri minorities in the case of the degradation of Lake Urmia, Iran},
author = {Maja Zenko and Sanjin Ule\v{z}i\'{c}},
url = {https://journals.librarypublishing.arizona.edu/jpe/article/id/2098/ http://journals.librarypublishing.arizona.edu/jpe/article/id/2098/},
doi = {10.2458/v26i1.22729},
issn = {1073-0451},
year = {2019},
date = {2019-01-01},
journal = {Journal of Political Ecology},
volume = {26},
number = {1},
pages = {167--183},
publisher = {University of Arizona Libraries},
abstract = {This article explores the differences between the vulnerability of two ethnic minorities faced with the same environmental disaster, along with the causes of those disparities. Set in the context of the degradation of Lake Urmia in north-western Iran, the study problematizes the unequal access to political power of the Kurdish and Azeri minorities and the historical dynamics of marginalization and empowerment. It links those dynamics with the current differential vulnerability of the members of the two minorities living in proximity of the lake, who have traditionally been dependent on agriculture as a means of subsistence. The degradation of the lake has severely affected the agricultural production in the region through the salinization of irrigation water and the degradation of arable land. The study focuses on households in the proximity of the lake with the goal of exploring to what extent their ethnicity determines their vulnerability and adaptive capacity in the face of the disaster. We find that ethnic politics plays a role in the access to irrigation water and the potential for income diversification, as well as being a component of the coping capacity embedded in social networks. Additionally, we find that ethnicity is a determinant of the availability of economic resources, and strongly influences the knowledge of \textendash and willingness to participate in \textendash governmental and non-governmental projects to mitigate the effects of the environmental disaster.},
keywords = {environmental degradation, ethnicity, Iran, Lake Urmia, minorities, political power, vulnerability},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {article}
}
This article explores the differences between the vulnerability of two ethnic minorities faced with the same environmental disaster, along with the causes of those disparities. Set in the context of the degradation of Lake Urmia in north-western Iran, the study problematizes the unequal access to political power of the Kurdish and Azeri minorities and the historical dynamics of marginalization and empowerment. It links those dynamics with the current differential vulnerability of the members of the two minorities living in proximity of the lake, who have traditionally been dependent on agriculture as a means of subsistence. The degradation of the lake has severely affected the agricultural production in the region through the salinization of irrigation water and the degradation of arable land. The study focuses on households in the proximity of the lake with the goal of exploring to what extent their ethnicity determines their vulnerability and adaptive capacity in the face of the disaster. We find that ethnic politics plays a role in the access to irrigation water and the potential for income diversification, as well as being a component of the coping capacity embedded in social networks. Additionally, we find that ethnicity is a determinant of the availability of economic resources, and strongly influences the knowledge of – and willingness to participate in – governmental and non-governmental projects to mitigate the effects of the environmental disaster.
AGAUR Grant ID 2017 SGR 230 / Copyright © 2023