Critical water geographies: Concepts, ontologies and knowledge

This review synthesizes critical and radical water geographies as a multifaceted field that analyses how water is made governable through power, space and everyday life. It traces key conceptual shifts, including critiques of modern water, hydrosocial and territorial approaches, water justice and ontological debates. The review organizes these perspectives around recurring domains of debate, encompassing urbanization and political economy, infrastructure geopolitics, social reproduction and (in)security and the knowledge practices through which water problems are rendered visible and actionable. In doing so, the article illustrates how adjacent arenas complicate the field beyond urban and domestic water alone, concluding with a concise agenda for future radical research and praxis.

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Publication Details

Journal
Human Geography
Published
2026-08-20
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1177/19427786261477920
Primary Topic
Water Governance and Infrastructure
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
0.00
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article

Critical water geographies: Concepts, ontologies and knowledge

Filippo Menga
Human Geography
Water Governance and Infrastructure
article

Critical water geographies: Concepts, ontologies and knowledge

Filippo Menga
article en

Abstract

This review synthesizes critical and radical water geographies as a multifaceted field that analyses how water is made governable through power, space and everyday life. It traces key conceptual shifts, including critiques of modern water, hydrosocial and territorial approaches, water justice and ontological debates. The review organizes these perspectives around recurring domains of debate, encompassing urbanization and political economy, infrastructure geopolitics, social reproduction and (in)security and the knowledge practices through which water problems are rendered visible and actionable. In doing so, the article illustrates how adjacent arenas complicate the field beyond urban and domestic water alone, concluding with a concise agenda for future radical research and praxis.

Human Geography
University of Bergamo (IT)
Sustainable cities and communities
Openalex Percentile: Top 2%
Water Governance and Infrastructure
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