Francesc Rodríguez: Enduring Waterscapes of Ukraine - hydrosocial relations, infrastructures, and more-than-humans
TUESDAY, 11 a.m. - 1 p.m. | GD HS 08 (Gräfin-Dönhoff-Building), Europa-Universität Viadrina I Hybrid format I Started in 2014 and escalated into a large-scale invasion in February 2022, the Russian war of aggression has brought widespread military use of rivers and other bodies of fresh water across Ukraine, in what it is known as hydrological warfare. Using ‘water walks’ as a river-making practice, Francesc will present part of his ongoing ethnographic work in several war-affected riverine communities across Ukraine both in the rear and frontline regions. He will elucidate how everyday hydrosocial relations, water infrastructures, and more-than-human beings mutually shape one another to form what he conceptualizes as ‘enduring waterscapes’. Lastly, offered as a humble contribution to present and future restoration efforts, the presentation will touch on the implications of these ‘enduring waterscapes’, especially in light of EU Nature Restoration Law and its potential application in Ukraine.
Francesc obtained his Ph.D. in Science and Technology Studies at York University, Canada. Currently he is assistant professor in environmental humanities and STS in the Chair of Technoscience Studies at Brandenburg University of Technology Cottbus–Senftenberg (BTU). While there, he has also worked within EUNICE, the European University for Customised Education, to develop a new Erasmus+ European Joint M.A. programme in Technoscience, Environment and Society, connecting six universities in Germany, Ukraine, Greece, Portugal, France, and Sweden. Previously, Francesc held research and teaching positions at Rhine-Waal University of Applied Sciences and Open University of Catalonia. He currently collaborates with NUBiP in Kyiv, where he regularly delivers guest lectures on various socio-environmental topics. While pursuing his B.A., Francesc spent an academic year at the Institute for East European Studies (Freie Universität Berlin).
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