Lia Polotzek

Societal relations to nature, political ecology, environmental sociology, critical theory, water protests, water governance, democratic ecological planning, social reproduction, socio-ecological transformation

In the wake of the climate crisis, water is increasingly becoming a source of social conflict in Germany. Falling groundwater levels, competing uses of water, and the intensification of environmental crises raise the question of how water resources can be organised, distributed and managed democratically in the future. In this context, the doctoral thesis examines the contradictory societal relation to nature, which are particularly evident in water protests, as well as the potential for democratic ecological planning of water supply.

The starting point of this work is the assumption that water cannot be understood solely as a natural resource, but rather as a socially mediated relationship. The way in which water is used, distributed and managed is closely linked to economic interests, ownership structures, political institutions and social power relations. At the same time, water cycles and ecological regeneration processes form the material prerequisites for the basis of life. Water supply thus represents a central arena in which the interactions and contradictions of society’s relations to nature can be observed.

Theoretically, the project combines approaches from political ecology, the concept of societal relations to nature, and social reproduction theory. Building on this foundation, it examines how processes of social and ecological reproduction are intertwined and how ecological crises and social inequalities influence one another. Particular attention is paid to the tensions between public services, capitalist resource use and the ecological prerequisites for social reproduction.

Empirically, the focus is on competing claims to water use, particularly through non-public water supply. Water protests are understood as an expression of contradictory societal relations to nature. They highlight where existing forms of water management reach ecological or social limits, politicise issues of ownership, access and control, and open up debates on alternative forms of the social organisation of water supply. At the same time, they offer the opportunity to examine how ecological problems are socially perceived, negotiated and addressed, and what new forms of democratic participation and collective knowledge production emerge from this.

Building on these analyses, the project explores the possibilities for democratic ecological planning of water supply. The central question is how decisions regarding the use and distribution of water can be better aligned with social needs, ecological limits and democratic principles. In doing so, the project examines both existing institutional arrangements and alternative approaches to collective decision-making. The aim is to contribute to current debates on democratic economic planning and to develop perspectives for a socially just and ecologically sustainable organisation of water supply under the conditions of the climate crisis.

Overall, the doctoral project combines theoretical basic research with empirical analysis and a transformative perspective on social change. It contributes to a better understanding of the social and ecological causes of water conflicts and highlights ways in which water supply can be organised more democratically, equitably and within ecological limits.