Paper short abstract:

Is there potential for a rapprochement between conceiving water as a natural resource to be exploited and understanding it for its socio-cultural value? While water remains fertile ground for rigid and incommensurable forms of expertise, could it also be the catalyst for new alliances between them?

Paper long abstract:

Perhaps because of the multi-disciplinary history of its technocratic expertise, or for being a solvent for toxic solutes while remaining indispensable for life, water is known to be fertile ground for knowledge conflicts. This presentation turns the tables by probing instead into one of the potential alliances that can result from water, that between social scientists of technology and technologists of water purification. Which interactions can result from these engagements, and how can they be mutually productive? As scientists, we are often interested in the point of view of our knowledge-holder interlocutors, whether we share or not their political and ethical tenets. At the same time, we also realize our potential to serve as interpreters and knowledge mediators for citizens, as well as their wet ecology, when they are trapped in between technologies, bureaucrats, businesses, authorities, and even academics. And yet, we social scientists are often still seen as the least useful participants in decision-making processes when not simply unwanted guests. This presentation will introduce the Water Justice and Adaptation project and its theoretical tenets for soliciting conversations on water as a space that is as conflict-prone as it is ripe with alliance potential. As a sequela, water purification technicians will also be included in the conversation.