Cultivating the Nile: The Everyday Politics of Water in Egypt

The waters of the Nile are fundamental to life in Egypt. In this compelling ethnography, Jessica Barnes explores the everyday politics of water: a politics anchored in the mundane yet vital acts of blocking, releasing, channeling, and diverting water. She examines the quotidian practices of farmers, government engineers, and international donors as they interact with the waters of the Nile flowing into and through Egypt. Situating these local practices in relation to broader processes that affect Nile waters, Barnes moves back and forth from farmer to government ministry, from irrigation canal to international water conference. By showing how the waters of the Nile are constantly made and remade as a resource by people in and outside Egypt, she demonstrates the range of political dynamics, social relations, and technological interventions that must be incorporated into understandings of water and its management.

Author: Jessica Barnes
Publisher: Duke University Press
Published: 09/17/2014
Pages: 248
Binding Type: Paperback
Weight: 0.70lbs
Size: 8.90h x 6.00w x 0.50d
ISBN13: 9780822357568
ISBN10: 0822357569
BISAC Categories:
- Nature | Environmental Conservation & Protection | General
- History | Middle East | Egypt (see also Ancient | Egypt)
- Social Science | Anthropology | Cultural & Social

About the Author
Jessica Barnes is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Geography and the Environment and Sustainability Program at the University of South Carolina.