TY - JOUR
T1 - Can grassroots movements in water conflicts drive socio-technical transitions in water management systems?
AU - Godinez Madrigal, Jonatan
AU - Van Cauwenbergh, Nora
AU - Ochoa-Garcia, Heliodoro
AU - van der Zaag, Pieter
PY - 2024
Y1 - 2024
N2 - Water conflicts open windows of opportunity for grassroots movements to transform water systems. However, academic fields studying social movements in socio-environmental conflicts are not well equipped to deal with complexity, non-linear dynamics, and emergent properties. Therefore, these fields rarely engage with long-term complex social processes and dynamics leading to systemic socio-technical changes. Researching water conflicts driven by grassroots movements, we ask whether and how the latter can influence a socio-technical transition of a water management regime. Through an emblematic water conflict in Mexico, we analyse the grassroots movement's trajectory since the conflict´s inception by following the dynamic process of developing agency. Our findings show that throughout the conflict, the grassroots movement accumulated and mobilized diverse capitals to initiate water management strategies and practices that catalysed change in the water management regime by stalling the implementation of large infrastructures. Eventually, this led to the inception of a sustainable and just transition.
AB - Water conflicts open windows of opportunity for grassroots movements to transform water systems. However, academic fields studying social movements in socio-environmental conflicts are not well equipped to deal with complexity, non-linear dynamics, and emergent properties. Therefore, these fields rarely engage with long-term complex social processes and dynamics leading to systemic socio-technical changes. Researching water conflicts driven by grassroots movements, we ask whether and how the latter can influence a socio-technical transition of a water management regime. Through an emblematic water conflict in Mexico, we analyse the grassroots movement's trajectory since the conflict´s inception by following the dynamic process of developing agency. Our findings show that throughout the conflict, the grassroots movement accumulated and mobilized diverse capitals to initiate water management strategies and practices that catalysed change in the water management regime by stalling the implementation of large infrastructures. Eventually, this led to the inception of a sustainable and just transition.
KW - Actor-oriented approach
KW - Political ecology
KW - Practice-oriented approach
KW - Social arenas
KW - Social capitals
KW - Zapotillo project
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85187492546&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/j.eist.2024.100837
DO - 10.1016/j.eist.2024.100837
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85187492546
SN - 2210-4224
VL - 51
JO - Environmental Innovation and Societal Transitions
JF - Environmental Innovation and Societal Transitions
M1 - 100837
ER -