Fluid Modernity: The Politics of Water in the Middle East

Fluid Modernity provides a historical analysis of the politics of water in the Middle East within the framework of modern capitalism and global politics. It explores how water is transformed into a powerful apparatus that binds people to power, examines the involvement of states in the formation of international governmentalities, and highlights water conflict and cooperation between states, as well as state policies towards subaltern subjects and the water politics of rebellious movements.

Format: Hardback
Length: 120 pages
Publication date: 31 October 2022
Publisher: Taylor & Francis Ltd

Fluid Modernity provides a groundbreaking, comprehensive, and historical analysis of the politics of water in the Middle East within the framework of modern capitalism and global politics. By drawing upon the conceptions of power articulated by Foucault and Agamben, the book delves into the transformative process through which water, driven by modern capitalist production, becomes an apparatus that binds individuals to power. This exploration extends to trans-boundary watercourses, where states actively participate in the formation of international governmentalities.

The book revisits the history of fluid modernity in the Middle East, spanning from late Ottoman times to the present. It specifically focuses on the dynamics of water conflict and cooperation among states, including Israel, Arab states, and Turkey, as well as Syria and Iraq. It also examines state policies towards subaltern subjects, such as Israel's treatment of Palestinians and Turkey's approach toward Kurds. Additionally, the book explores the water politics of rebellious movements in the region.

After a conceptual chapter that introduces the concept of fluid modernity, the book proceeds to trace water politics in the Middle East from a diachronic perspective. It explores how water diplomacy, infrastructure loans, reservoir construction, discourses of sovereignty, and conflict have shaped the development of governance and governmentality in the region.

Fluid Modernity holds immense appeal to postgraduates, researchers, academics, and intellectuals with a keen interest in Middle East Studies, Hydropolitics, Water and Society, Geopolitics, Political Theory, Resistance, and NGOs engaged in water-related endeavors. By offering a fresh and insightful perspective on the politics of water in the Middle East, this book contributes to our understanding of the complex and interconnected dynamics shaping this critical region.

Dimension: 216 x 138 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781032412252