Floods

Floods are among the most recurrent phenomena that scientists, government agents and journalists point to as evidence of global environmental change. The destructive force of floods reminds us of the disastrous scenarios which are emerging from altered precipitation patterns and rising sea level. Yet for thousands of communities, especially in the global South, floods are a crucial part of their everyday lives. Floods also renew soils thus enriching agriculture, and they open up new circuits for the circulation of fish. Both by destruction and revitalization, floods modify landscapes, social relations, property boundaries and pose serious challenges to human efforts to control water. Fundamentally, I am interested in understanding the political, environmental, and social transformations that occur in the midst and the aftermath of floods. Furthermore, I reflect about the theoretical and conceptual implications of floods as a different manifestation of water and water-society relationships.

Floods