TWENTY65 Social Science of Water Network Event
Start Date
25.03.2019
End Date
25.03.2019
New knowledges and practices in the water sector: learning and sharing across the interpretive social sciences
Water management is undergoing a transformation from being largely focused on technical problems and technical solutions, to an emphasis on collaboration with partners and publics as a means to identify priorities and to achieve change. The shifting focus of water governance has made the work of the interpretive social science more relevant to the water sector than previously. This one-day colloquium seeks to describe, explore and share the nature of this change, with an overall goal of helping to build a community of interpretive social scientists of water across the UK and beyond.
Outline of day:
We are proud to welcome Veronica Strang (University of Durham), anthropologist and author of the seminal interpretive text ‘the Meaning of Water’ (Strang, 2004) to open the colloquium. Our proceedings will conclude with reflections on how interpretive social science of water (from the day) is contributing to social science and to policy. The former reflections will be led by Jamie Linton (Université de Limoges), historical geographer of water and pioneer of ideas about hydro-social water management (Linton, 2014; Linton and Budds, 2014); while Tom Handysides, Principal Strategic Advisor at OFWAT, will comment on the challenges and questions that the day has raised for policy.
Interpretive social science emphasises the various understandings and meanings that people have for a phenomena, for example, a water efficiency initiative. ‘Interpretive social science’ overlaps with and is closely related to ‘critical’, ‘relational’ and ‘post-positivist’ social science. The growing use of interpretive social science (and related approaches) is argued to be important in helping water managers to understand and work within the worlds of public engagement and policy-making (See Sharp, 2017: 19).
Full Programme for the day
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9.00-9.30 |
Arrival and Coffee |
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9.30-9.50 |
Welcome, logistics and introductions: Liz Sharp |
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9.50– 10.30 |
Veronica Strang, University of Durham Meanings of water – looking backwards to move forwards Chair: Liz Sharp |
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10.30-11.20 |
Quick-fire talks Chair: Emma Westling |
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An exploration of the meanings involved in community engagement in water governance in Scotland Kirsty Holstead1,2, Shona Russell1, Kerry Waylen2 1 University of St Andrews, 2 The James Hutton Institute |
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Co-operative rainwater harvesting for flood resilience Christine Sefton, University of Sheffield |
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Can priorities of communities be embedded into the design of rural wastewater services? Grace Remmington1,2, Heather Smith1, Rowan Ellis2, Richard Allan2, Bruce Jefferson1 1Cranfield University, 2 The James Hutton Institute |
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Community Water Management for a Liveable London (CAMELLIA) Helge Peters and Catharina Landström, University of Oxford |
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Community accounts of water in Malawi James Bonner, University of Strathclyde |
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Turning practice theory into practical intervention Karen Simpson, University of the West of England |
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Climate Justice and Flooding in the UK Juliet De Little, University of Sheffield |
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Using discourse analysis to critically examine collaborative governance of Blue Green Infrastructure and the role of health agencies Anna Kenyon, University of Sheffield |
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What are the key characteristics of Nature-based solutions? Clair Cooper, University of Durham |
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Achieving sustainable transformation with industry 4.0: critical questions for water demand. Claire Hoolohan, University of Manchester |
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11.20-11.40 |
Coffee |
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Open Session 1: Methodological plurality: different ways of understanding people and water Chair: Alison Browne |
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11.40-12.10 |
The Sources of the Nile. A podcast for action research on media, science and water diplomacy Emanuele Fantini1, Emilie Buist2 1IHE Delft Institute for Water Education, 2TU Delft |
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12.10-12.40 |
Picturing water: Participatory visual methodologies for hydrosocial change Jennifer Thompson, Durham University |
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12.40-13.10 |
Changes in household consumption during the extreme summer weather in 2018 Rob Lawson, Sarah Rogerson, Artesia Consulting |
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13.10-13.50 |
Lunch |
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Open Session 2: Talking about water Chair: Emma Westling |
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13.50-14.20 |
Influencing public and professional flood warning decision making: speaking the same language Simon McCarthy1, Neil Blazey2, Jacqui Cotton3, Paul Cobbing4 1Middlesex University, 2Jacobs London, 3Environment Agency, 4National Flood Forum |
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14.20-14.50 |
Past Floods Matter: Cumbria’s community management of flooding (1750-2019) Leona Skelton1, John Morgan2 1Northumbria University, 2University of Manchester |
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14.50-15.20 |
‘Daylighting the hidden’: interdisciplinary reflections on theory and practice of storying drought. Lindsey McEwen1, Liz Roberts1, Antonia Liguori2 and Mike Wilson2 1 University of the West of England, 2Loughborough University |
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15.20-15.40 |
Tea, cake and fruit |
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15.40-16.45 |
PANEL: Jamie Linton, Université de Limoges and Carys Goodwin, OFWAT Reflections on the contribution of contemporary interpretive social science for influencing water research and practice, followed by general discussion |
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16.45-17.00 |
Close Liz Sharp |
Context and registration process
This colloquium represents the third meeting of a loose network of social scientists carrying out work on water management in the UK. As with previous events, the meeting is linked to the TWENTY65 project annual conference, see https://www.twenty65.ac.uk/annual-conference , and is organisationally a supplementary activity to the conference.
While initial registration for the colloquium will occur through the submission and acceptance of abstracts, participation will only be confirmed when payment has been received via the TWENTY65 payment mechanisms.
Participants can either register just for the colloquium or for the colloquium and the TWENTY65 conference. The fees are:
£70 for the full day if not attending the TWENTY65 Conference,
£40 for the full day if also attending the TWENTY65 conference
£40 for the full day for student/early career researchers if not attending the TWENTY65 Conference
£25 for the full day for students/early researchers if also attending the TWENTY65 conference
References
Linton, J, 2014, Modern Water and its discontents: a history of hydro-social renewal, WIREs Water 2014, 1:111–120. doi: 10.1002/wat2.1009
Linton J and Budds, J, 2014, Defining and mobilizing a relational-dialectical approach to water, Geoforum 57: 170-180
Sharp, L, 2017, Reconnecting People and Water: Public Engagement and Sustainable Water Management, London: Earthscan
