This thesis adds a new chapter to the environmental history of Dutch Essequibo and Demerara in the second half of the eighteenth century. Mainly using Dutch maps, plans and reports, this paper...Show moreThis thesis adds a new chapter to the environmental history of Dutch Essequibo and Demerara in the second half of the eighteenth century. Mainly using Dutch maps, plans and reports, this paper studies how Dutch knowledge of hydraulic engineering was reflected in their construction projects in the wet tropical Guianas. It examines the construction processes, structure and layout of canals, plantations, fortifications and towns. The hydraulic engineering of these projects is compared to practices in the Netherlands, Europe and European colonies, to determine whether it was as typically Dutch and unique as scholars often assume. The paper concludes that although the construction projects were planned in such a way that these fit well with the wet natural environment of the Guianas, the hydraulic engineering was neither unique nor typically Dutch. Instead, the projects resembled practices in other European colonies more closely than Dutch practices. The hydraulic engineering was therefore not the result of Dutch experience in water management, but rather the result of the environment of Essequibo and Demerara that forced the British, French and Dutch inhabitants to adapt to it.Show less
Research master thesis | Middle Eastern Studies (research) (MA)
open access
Debates around water in the MENA region center on its potential for conflict or for cooperation, with predictions of future water wars. Water is presented as a natural resource or an economic or...Show moreDebates around water in the MENA region center on its potential for conflict or for cooperation, with predictions of future water wars. Water is presented as a natural resource or an economic or political commodity. The debate is mostly focused on the international, inter-state scale. In recent years, however, some scholars have argued that a focus on the national or local level would generate more interesting and useful research regarding the importance of water and water management. The Middle East is generally regarded as a very water-scarce and fragile region. Syria, that since the Arab Spring of 2010-2011 has been torn by civil war, is particularly interesting. Water scarcity and climate change have been mentioned in scholarly and popular discourse as possible factors for the Syrian population’s dissent. In this thesis I explore the theoretical and practical political dynamics of water within the paradigm of water as a tool for conflict or cooperation. Through an integrative historical framework I identify four possible political functions of water: water as a tool for diplomacy, development, democracy, or war. Political water management can be conducted at different scalar levels via pragmatic strategies that serve different political agendas. I argue that both the notion of relative availability of water and the appearance of pragmatic strategies in water management must be taken into account in the debate on water. Furthermore, through balancing theory and practice of Syrian water management, both abstract and concrete political dynamics are revealed.Show less
