Paper short abstract:

This paper examines the ways in which different uses of the notion 'local knowledge' align with political presuppositions among actors involved with the governance of water related risks in England.

Paper long abstract:

This paper examines some of the ways in which actors involved with flood and drought risk science and management in England use the notion of 'local knowledge'. It aims to map connections between meanings of the notion and political assumptions guiding research design and decision making frameworks.

Over the last decade 'local knowledge' has become a popular notion among experts and agencies involved with managing risks posed by and to waterways in England. Used by policy makers, scientists, technical consultants and environmental NGOs the meaning of the term varies widely although, it seems always to be carrying positive connotations of democracy and participation.

On the one hand, the variability in meaning could be understood as plasticity that makes the notion useful as a boundary object facilitating negotiation and compromise. On the other hand, the changeable meanings of the term could obscure unequal power relations and patterns of exclusion in risk governance.

Starting with mapping uses of 'local knowledge' I move on to consider how different uses of the notion correspond with politics of knowledge which reinforce certain political assumptions among the diverse actors involved with water management. Finally, I draw on two experiments with environmental competency groups co-producing knowledge and redistributing expertise to highlight some aspects of 'local knowledge' that are overlooked in most usages