Social practices of flood (risk) management – a visual geographic approach to the analysis of social practices in an empirical case in Chiapas, Mexico

Abstract

When discussion of risks takes place, whether in political debates or in scientific discourses, flood-related hazards are among the most frequently mentioned events in many world regions. Scientific explanations of the risk present in any geographical region are generally based on the hydro-physical process of flooding, and the specific vulnerabilities of the local population in respect of this process. This paper follows a different pathway, arguing that this perspective is limited in explaining the existence of specific patterns of socio-spatial activity which lead to inequalities in flood risk management. Using social practice theory and applying the concept of riskscapes allows for a more differentiated perspective on the presence and evolution of risks in spatial entities. By using the specific conceptual delineation of social practices elaborated by social theorist Theodore Schatzki the focus is put on materially and spatially relevant performances that are involved in social constructions of risk. Moreover, a specific empirical method of in-depth research into socially and spatially relevant practices is presented. This visual geographic approach, developed in empirical research in Mexico as part of a recently finalised dissertation project, involves a participatory photography workshop as a method to trigger reflection on social practices, and analyses the photographs produced in order to identify relevant material aspects of social practices relating to flood management. The empirical findings present specific social flood management practices along the river Usumacinta in Chiapas. It is shown that participatory visual methods contribute to the identification of relevant social dynamics of flood management, and that they allow in-depth analysis of the interlinkages between different social practices, identifying synergies and conflicts between practices related to flood management. The tool developed based on the riskscapes concept is promoted here as a relevant step towards more thorough analysis of social practices, with the aim of identifying politically relevant inequalities in processes of flood management in the south of Mexico, and hopefully beyond. Zusammenfassung: In politischen Debatten sowie wissenschaftlichen Diskursen zum Thema Risiko gehören weltweit Hochwasserereignisse zu den am häufigsten angeführten Beispielen. Dabei machen hydro-physische Prozesse von Hochwasser und spezifische Vulnerabilitäten von Bevölkerungsgruppen einen Großteil der wissenschaftlichen Erklärungsansätze für Risiko in geographischen Regionen aus. Dieser Beitrag verfolgt einen anderen Erklärungsweg und zeigt auf, dass solche Ansätze insofern begrenzt sind, dass sie vorhandene sozialräumliche Aktivitäten, die zu Ungleichheiten im Hochwasserrisikomanagement führen, nur unzureichend berücksichtigen. Eine explizite Bezugnahme auf Praxistheorie und die Anwendung des Riskscapes-Konzeptes verspricht einen differenzierten Blick auf die Präsenz und Entwicklung von Risiken in geographischen Räumen. Dieser Artikel bezieht sich a...

Future waterscapes of the Swiss Jura: using speculative photo-response fabulation techniques with farmers

“…To narrow down our analysis, we interpret how metaphors in probable and desired futures expressed by participants associate or dissociate distant places in space and times through teleo-affectivity (Stephan, 2018:155, referring to Schatzki et al, 2001, i.e. orientations towards finality: what matters to us, what we care about, as a component of sites linking waterscapes to larger contexts at various scales.…”