How Water Makes Us Human

Luci Attala

Description

This book is about how water becomes people – or, put another way, how people and water flow together and shape each other. While the focus of the book is on the relationships held between water and people, it also has a broader message about human relationships with the environment generally – a message that illustrates not only that people are existentially entangled with the material world, but that the materials of the world shape, determine and enable humans to be ‘humans’ in the ways that they are. Offering a selection of anthropological examples from Kenya, Wales and Spain to illustrate how water’s materiality coproductively generates the way people are able to engage with water, this book uses cross-disciplinary perspectives to provide and promote a new analytic – one that encourages ethical, holistic and sustainable relationships with the world around us. This approach challenges representations that ignore, sidestep or are blind to the fleshy materiality of being human, and aims to encourage a re-imagining of the world that acknowledges humanity as intrinsically active-with and part of the fabric of the collection of materials we call planet Earth.

Acknowledgements
Preface
Part One
Chapter 1: Introduction
The direction and purpose: New Materialities
Materiality/Material Culture/ New Materialities
Why water?
People: bodies and water
Agency
Chapter 2: Water Behaviours: A Brief Ethnography of Water
What is water?
First light, then water
Being liquid: physics, classifications, breaking the law and transformation
How can one know water? Liquid behaviours
The importance of movement: molecular sociology
Solvents and solutions
But how does water move? Circles, cycles and snakes
The earth and the air
Water: the shape of life and when water is human
Chapter 3: Resource or Source: How to Approach Water in the Time of Climate Change
Part Two
Chapter 4: Introduction to Part Two
Chapter 5: The Giriama in Kenya: Living with Drought
Water practices: rain, roofs, rivers and water basins
Headcarrying: water shaping gendered bodies
Giriama conceptions of water
Fu ha mwenga: fluidity and identity
Watery identities
Identity solutions: blending place, power and water
MaKaya: home from home
Giriama waters and authenticity: understanding the materiality of water
Chapter 6: Lanjaron, Spain
Slow water: glaciers, ice and snow
The Moorish influence: hydrologers
Invisible waters
Not all waters are equal
Mineral water: healing and destruction
Change: festivities and water
The ritual
Chapter 7: Welsh Water: The Resourcefulness of Water
Establishing Welsh water: then and now
The language of water
Discourses of deluge
Water relationships, powers and control
Memories of floods and flooding
Water and memory: remember Tryweryn
Yma o hyd (Still here)
Chapter 8: Concluding Remarks
References
Index

Sujets

• Social Science
• Sociologie, société et politique
• Us
• Materiality
• How
• US (disambiguation)
• Anthropology
• Human
• Water
• Social
• Forêt des Makes
• Culture

Informations

• Publié par: University of Wales Press
• Date de parution: 01 avril 2019
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9781786834126
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 12 Mo

Extrait

M A T E R I A L I T I E S I N A N T H R O P O L O G Y A N D A R C H A E O L O G Y

HOW WATER MAKES US HUMAN

M A T E R I A L I T I E S I N A N T H R O P O L O G Y A N D A R C H A E O L O G Y

SERIES EDITORS

ucî Attaa and ouîse Stee Unîversîty o Waes Trînîty Saînt Davîd

SERIES EDITORIAL BOARD Dr Nîcoe Boîvîn Dîrector o the Max Panck ïnstîtute or the Scîence o Human Hîstory

Proessor Samantha Hurn Unîversîty o Exeter

Dr Oîver Harrîs Unîversîty o Leîcester

Proessor Davîd Howes Concordîa Centre or ïnterdîscîpînary Studîes în Socîety and Cuture

Dr Eîzabeth Rahman Unîversîty o Oxord

M A T E R I A L I T I E S I N A N T H R O P O L O G Y A N D A R C H A E O L O G Y

HOW WATER MAKES US HUMAN

ENGAGEMENTS WITH THE MATERIALITY OF WATER

LUCI ATTALA

UNïVERSïTY OF WAES PRESS 2019

© ucî Attaa, 

A rîghts reserved. No part o thîs book may be reproduced în any materîa orm (încudîng photocopyîng or storîng ît în any medîum by eectronîc means and whether or not transîenty or încîdentay to some other use o thîs pubîcatîon) wîthout the wrîtten permîssîon o the copyrîght owner except în accordance wîth the provîsîons o the Copyrîght, Desîgns and Patents Act . Appîcatîons or the copyrîght owner’s wrîtten permîssîon to reproduce any part o thîs pubîcatîon shoud be addressed to the Unîversîty o Waes Press, Unîversîty Regîstry, Kîng Edward Vïï Avenue, Cardîf CF NS.

www.uwp.co.uk

Brîtîsh Lîbrary Cataoguîng-în-Pubîcatîon Data A cataogue record or thîs book îs avaîabe rom the Brîtîsh îbrary.

ïSBN eïSBN

---- ----

The rîght o ucî Attaa to be îdentîIed as author o thîs work has been asserted în accordance wîth sectîons  and  o the Copyrîght, Desîgns and Patents Act .

Typeset by Marîe Doherty Prînted by CPï Antony Rowe, Meksham

CONTENTS

Acknowedgements Preace

PART ONE  Introduction The dîrectîon and purpose: New Materîaîtîes Materîaîty/Materîa cuture/New Materîaîtîes Why water? Peope: bodîes and water Agency

2



Water Behaviours: A Brief Ethnography of Water What îs water? Fîrst îght, then water Beîng îquîd: physîcs, cassîIcatîons, breakîng the aw and transormatîon How can one know water? îquîd behavîours The împortance o movement: moecuar socîoogy Sovents and soutîons Buthowdoes water move? Cîrces, cyces and snakes The earth and the aîr Water: the shape o îe, and when water îs human

ResourceorSource?:HowtoApproachWaterin the Time of Climate Change

PART TWO  Introduction



The Giriama in Kenya: Living with Drought Water practîces: raîn, roos, rîvers and water basîns Head carryîng: water shapîng gendered bodîes

vîî îx

3 3 8 9 10 12

18 18 21

23 24 25 29 33 38 43

47

65

68 71 71

vî  HOW WAT E R NMA K E S US HUMA







Gîrîama conceptîons o water Fu ha mwenga: Luîdîty and îdentîty Watery îdentîtîes ïdentîty soutîons: bendîng pace, power and water MaKaya: home rom home Gîrîama waters and authentîcîty: understandîng the materîaîty o water

Lanjaron, Spain Sow water: gacîers, îce and snow The Moorîsh înLuence: hydroogers ïnvîsîbe waters Not a waters are equa Mînera water: heaîng and destructîon Change: estîvîtîes and water The rîtua

Welsh Water: The Resourcefulness of Water Estabîshîng Wesh water: then and now The anguage o water Dîscourses on deuge Water reatîonshîps, powers and contro Memorîes o Loods and Loodîng Water and memory: ‘Remember Tryweryn’ Reservoîrs Yma o hyd(Stî here)

Concluding Remarks

Reerences ïndex

76 76 81 83 86

89

93 96 99 101 104 106 109 109

115 117 119 123 127 129 134 141 142

146

149 169

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

he Wenner Gren Foundatîon has supported the Iedwork or some T o the research or thîs book – under the tîteThe Roe o ‘New’ Water în Shapîng and Reguatîng Futures în Rura Kenya. ï woud îke to thank: Sam Hurn, ouîse Stee, Janet Burton and Ros Coard or îstenîng to me beat on about water or a these years; my students (partîcuary Kenny ewîs) or theîr bod and cheeky însîghts; Jane Cartwrîght, Steve Thomas and amîy, Rosemary Northover, Erîn Kavanagh and Martîn Bates or theîr hep wîth the Wesh chapter; Tîm ïhssen, who, ater edîtîng thîs, descrîbes hîmse as ‘an ugy bag o mosty water’; Sarah ewîs o Unîversîty o Waes Press or thîs opportunîty; my beautîu chîdren, Kîzzy, Mînna, yr and A, or beîng hîarîous în so many ways, and or beîng the oves o my îe and my absoute best rîends; the ever-emergîng grandchîdren, who joyousy demonstrate how materîaîty reshapes îtse; Gary the cat, or wakîng me up beore 6 a.m. because he was hungry and had to be edîmmedîatey; the communîty în Kenya (partîcuary Aex and oîce Katana, and Musa Mare), who put up wîth my nonsense; and – ast but not east – water, because, wîthout you, we are dust.

PREFACE

hîs book îs one o a serîes that contrîbutes to what îs broady T termed the ‘new materîa’ turn în the socîa scîences. The under- pînnîng întentîon that coheres the numerous înterdîscîpînary moves that partîcîpate and eed înto thîs Lourîshîng body o îterature îs to chaenge anthropocentrîcîsm. Thîs serîes dethrones the human by drawîng în materîas. Posîtîoned under the broad umbrea headîng o the ‘New Materîaîsms’ or ‘New Materîaîtîes’, the serîes aîms to draw în the non-human as agent, wîth a vîew to both recognîzîng and advocatîng or the other-than-human entîtîes that prevaî and engage în our îves. ïn recognîtîon that these terms are somewhat sîppery to grasp, we have outîned the oowîng dîstînctîons so as to put cear water between the terms and to demonstrate how we are usîng them.

Distinctions between ‘materiality’ and ‘matter’ The term ‘materîaîty’ descrîbes the quaîty or character o the materîa o whîch a thîng îs made – what we mîght ca îts materîa-ness. On the other hand, the term ‘matter’ îs used to descrîbe physîca îtems that occupy space (mass). Tradîtîona theorîes o materîaîty expore how objects (made o matter (dîferent materîas)) shape the îves o peope. New Materîaîtîes examînes the materîas (matter) o whîch objects are made and how those materîas înLuence human behavîour. Materîaîty and materîa cuture studîes have tended to ocus theîr attentîon onthîngsorobjects, especîay the thîngs that peope make. Schoarshîp has been ess concerned wîth how materîas behave, în avour o ookîng at how peope use materîas. Materîaîty studîes, thereore, demonstrate a connectîon between humanîty and the thîngs that they make and use. ïn other words, ît expores how îtems reLect theîr makers and owners, and thereore embody meanîngs. The New Materîaîtîes turn moves away rom objects and exam- înes the materîas rom whîch objects are ashîoned. Turnîng attentîon