Place-pedagogies of water stress

This article explores the pedagogical affect of water in a place of water stress and illustrates its entanglement with dynamics of power and control. The current climate crisis is rendering already drought-prone regions ever drier, and it is often the already socially and economically disadvantaged who experience the most immediate impacts. In this article, we describe the experiences of residents in one township in South Africa’s Cape Flats to explore how water literacies have developed and been reinforced by a prolonged period of water scarcity. By analysing assemblages of images and accompanying texts produced through a PhotoVoice process undertaken by co-researchers in this settlement, we show how water’s presence as an always imminent absence has profound pedagogical impact. We also explore how water manages to escape and flow outside of attempts to control and constrain it. Finally, we speculate on the implications for place-based water literacies and the pedagogies at work in other places of water stress.

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Publication Details

Journal
Global Social Challenges Journal
Published
2025-01-27
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1332/27523349y2025d000000034
Citations
1
Primary Topic
Indigenous and Place-Based Education
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
8.93

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Place-pedagogies of water stress

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Global Social Challenges Journal
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Place-pedagogies of water stress

Sikhululekile Ncube, Niall Hamilton‐Smith, Tsitsi Mpofu-Mketwa, Gillian F. Black, Kirsty Carden, Amber Abrams, Anna Wilson, Jennifer Dickie, Laurence Piper, Guy Lamb, Liezl Dick, Leif Petersen
article en
1 citations

Abstract

This article explores the pedagogical affect of water in a place of water stress and illustrates its entanglement with dynamics of power and control. The current climate crisis is rendering already drought-prone regions ever drier, and it is often the already socially and economically disadvantaged who experience the most immediate impacts. In this article, we describe the experiences of residents in one township in South Africa’s Cape Flats to explore how water literacies have developed and been reinforced by a prolonged period of water scarcity. By analysing assemblages of images and accompanying texts produced through a PhotoVoice process undertaken by co-researchers in this settlement, we show how water’s presence as an always imminent absence has profound pedagogical impact. We also explore how water manages to escape and flow outside of attempts to control and constrain it. Finally, we speculate on the implications for place-based water literacies and the pedagogies at work in other places of water stress.

Global Social Challenges Journal
University of Stirling (GB), University of Cape Town (ZA), Stellenbosch University (ZA), Sustainable Livelihoods Foundation (ZA), Carleton University (CA), University of Glasgow (GB), University of the Western Cape (ZA)
Global Challenges Research Fund
Openalex Percentile: Top 6%
Indigenous and Place-Based Education
8.93
DOIOpen Access PDFOpenAlex
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