Schneider, Flurina (2015). Exploring sustainability through stakeholders' perspectives and hybrid water in the Swiss alps. Water Alternatives, 8(2), pp. 280-296. Water Alternatives
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Can the concept of water as a socio-natural hybrid and the analysis of different users’ perceptions of water advance the study of water sustainability? In this article, I explore this question by empirically studying sustainability values and challenges, as well as distinct types of water as identified by members of five water user groups in a case study region in the Swiss Alps. Linking the concept of water as a socio-natural hybrid with the different water users’ perspectives provided valuable insights into the complex relations between material, cultural, and discursive practices. In particular, it provided a clearer picture of existing water sustainability challenges and the factors and processes that hinder more sustainable outcomes. However, by focusing on relational processes and individual stakeholder perspectives, only a limited knowledge could be created regarding a) what a more sustainable water future would look like and b) how current unsustainable practices can be effectively transformed into more sustainable ones. I conclude by arguing that the concept of water as a socio-natural hybrid provides an interesting analytical tool for investigating sustainability questions; however, if it is to contribute to water sustainability, it needs to be integrated into a broader transdisciplinary research perspective that understands science as part of a deliberative and reflective process of knowledge co-production and social learning between all actor groups involved.
Item Type: |
Journal Article (Original Article) |
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Division/Institute: |
10 Strategic Research Centers > Centre for Development and Environment (CDE) |
UniBE Contributor: |
Schneider, Flurina |
ISSN: |
1965-0175 |
Publisher: |
Water Alternatives |
Projects: |
[444] Approaching water stress in the Alps |
Language: |
English |
Submitter: |
Stephan Schmidt |
Date Deposited: |
07 Jul 2015 08:36 |
Last Modified: |
05 Dec 2022 14:48 |
BORIS DOI: |
10.7892/boris.70112 |
URI: |
https://boris.unibe.ch/id/eprint/70112 |
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