Groundwater urgencies: what can geography offer?

Abstract. Drawing on a conference session on groundwater embedded in distal relations, we present the outcome of an interdisciplinary discussion on conflicts and boundaries in groundwater geographies. We present five case studies illustrating key aspects of how conflicts evolve and boundaries change. We identify epistemic contestations and transition phases of adjustment as common themes across the cases. We furthermore expose a tension between the urgent needs for producing applied groundwater research and implementing findings on one hand and taking time for reflective research modes and questioning modes of knowledge production in groundwater research on the other hand. We argue that continuous epistemic boundary work is needed, bridging perspectives and disciplines, while also engaging with epistemic pluralism and conflicting assumptions. Here geography has a timely role to play in the current struggle for sustainable and just groundwater futures.

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Publication Details

Journal
Geographica Helvetica
Published
2025-05-15
DOI
https://doi.org/10.5194/gh-80-135-2025
Primary Topic
Water Governance and Infrastructure
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
0.00

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article

Groundwater urgencies: what can geography offer?

J. Kramer, Dženeta Hodžić, Robert Luetkemeier, Linda Söller et al.
Geographica Helvetica
Water Governance and Infrastructure
article

Groundwater urgencies: what can geography offer?

J. Kramer, Dženeta Hodžić, Robert Luetkemeier, Linda Söller, David Sanz, Christina Walter, Fanny Frick-Trzebitzky, Amit Kumar Srivastwa, David R. Kuhn, Iordanka Guenova Dountcheva-Robles
article en

Abstract

Abstract. Drawing on a conference session on groundwater embedded in distal relations, we present the outcome of an interdisciplinary discussion on conflicts and boundaries in groundwater geographies. We present five case studies illustrating key aspects of how conflicts evolve and boundaries change. We identify epistemic contestations and transition phases of adjustment as common themes across the cases. We furthermore expose a tension between the urgent needs for producing applied groundwater research and implementing findings on one hand and taking time for reflective research modes and questioning modes of knowledge production in groundwater research on the other hand. We argue that continuous epistemic boundary work is needed, bridging perspectives and disciplines, while also engaging with epistemic pluralism and conflicting assumptions. Here geography has a timely role to play in the current struggle for sustainable and just groundwater futures.

Geographica HelveticaVol. 80(2)
Goethe University Frankfurt (DE), University of Freiburg (DE), University of Augsburg (DE), Ambedkar University Delhi (IN), Senckenberg Biodiversity and Climate Research Centre (DE), Institute for Social-Ecological Research (DE), University of Castilla-La Mancha (ES)
Bundesministerium für Bildung und Forschung, Bundesministerium für Bildung, Wissenschaft, Forschung und Technologie
Openalex Percentile: Top 88%
Water Governance and Infrastructure
DOIOpen Access PDFOpenAlex
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Groundwater urgencies: what can geography offer? — J. Kramer, Dženeta Hodžić, et al. · Geographica Helvetica (2025) | TGRS Research Map | TGRS