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Paper short abstract

This paper discusses how water infrastructure in the U.S., by fusing political power with economic sensibilities, operationalizes processes of social exclusion. To confront infrastructural violence and empower impacted communities, we need to reimagine the ways in which water is distributed.

Paper long abstract

In the U.S., as in many societies, political polarization tends to unfold along lines of access to resources and the infrastructures delivering them. Against the backdrop of the country’s long history of racial segregation, this paper discusses how water infrastructure in the U.S. functions as a form of state control that operationalizes processes of social marginalization and exclusion. While in the past, much scholarly attention focused on the practice of denying Black neighborhoods equal access to water, this presentation examines how water infrastructure is not only a mechanism of political power but is also infused with economic sensibilities. It details how water has increasingly become unaffordable to many Black Americans, posing a threat to public health, human dignity, and economic opportunity in Black communities. By highlighting how technical issues, such as failing pipes, rate hikes, and water contamination, are directly linked to larger processes of economic disinvestment, water privatization, and climate change, this paper reveals the structural dimension of water unaffordability. From here, the presentation attempts a turn that invites us to think more deeply about the relational nature of water infrastructure and the promises it holds for social change work. Taking a cue from the work of Leanne Betasamosake Simpson (Theory of Water, 2025), I suggest a more poetic reading—conceiving of water as connector, sustainer of life, and force of renewal—to help us imagine new ways in which water could flow that promote empowerment and participation of impacted community members in water decision-making.