Presentation short abstract

This paper centres Jordan’s Azraq Wetlands, tracing how shifts in water use, geology, and livelihoods, specifically over-pumping of water and economic restructuring, have been shaped by colonial governance, post-colonial policies, and neoliberal development.

Presentation long abstract

The Azraq Wetlands are a large water ecosystem in the eastern desert of Jordan that have long provided an important site for migratory birds and wildlife, while also supporting several communities and sustaining a rich cultural heritage. In an area of Jordan’s desert where water is scarce, the wetlands are a unique space where rock, minerals, and water coalesce. The geological make-up of the area—including the black basalt formations—is central to Azraq. A salty aquifer beneath the wetlands was a source of livelihoods through salt production, and the presence of water sustained both human and animal life. However, changes in the late twentieth century dramatically altered the balance between rock, minerals, and water. Over-pumping of groundwater to supply urban centres in Jordan caused the natural springs that fed the Azraq Wetlands to shrink to 10% of their original size. Salt production also stopped as industrial-scale extraction from the Dead Sea became more profitable.

This paper explores these shifting relationships between rock, minerals, and water by situating them within processes of colonialism, capitalist accumulation, and ecological violence. It argues that many environmental challenges and transformations seen in Azraq stem from decisions made during the colonial period of the British Mandate, from Jordan’s (post)colonial nationalist policies, and from the expansion of neoliberal capitalist projects from the 1980s onward. Azraq provides an important case study for understanding the politics of environmental concerns, the material dynamics shaping control and access to resources, and—through centring community voices —offers insights into environmental justice and alternative epistemologies.