The social life of sediment

Abstract

Sediment is an essential component of water and river systems. The anthropogenic alteration of sediment fluxes in the world’s rivers is one of the principal markers of the Anthropocene, the new geological epoch characterized by human influence at the planetary scale. In spite of its environmental and historical importance, water and river histories have surprisingly neglected sediment until recently. This introduction to the special issue “The Social Life of Sediment” argues for putting sediment at the center of social and historical inquiry and discusses the potential and value of such an approach. To do so, we introduce the concept of the “social life of sediment,” that is, the idea that the existence and movement of sediment is entwined with social needs, values, and activities, and needs to be appraised in his historical dimension. We review recent literature in fluvial geomorphology, social sciences, and history to assess to what extent the social and historical life of sediment has been taken into account. After this interdisciplinary review, we present the seven papers of the special issue and highlight their major insights to the study of social and historical lives of sediment. We conclude by outlining avenues for further research and by summarizing what we all can gain from putting sediment at the center of historical inquiries.

Beyond just floodwater

“…Although such discourse is essential, two critical aspects of riverine flooding are often neglected. Firstly, floods are conceptualized frequently as simply flows of water, neglecting the importance of sediment 4 and thus the long-term role of floods as builders and modifiers of fluvial landscapes. Secondly, rivers and their floodplains must be viewed as more-than-physical phenomena, which demands a broad rethinking of human (individual, community and institutional) relationships to rivers as part of hazard mitigation and adaptation.…”

“…River channels are not just conduits for water flow. The sediment they transport is fundamental to shaping alluvial channels, influencing channel stability and determining flood capacity 4 . Rivers come alive during floods and sediment transport is intrinsic to this transformation.…”

“…Yet rivers are integrated and entwined socio-natural systems, in which sediment is an essential part. That the presence and transport of sediment is 'entwined with social needs, values and activities' imbues it with a 'social life' that must be viewed in its historical context 4 . Rivers can be conceived to possess particular attributes and functions within a community, region or nation, which negotiate their relationship with waterways.…”

“…When viewed through this lens, flooding and sediment dispersal can be conceived as part of a continuous, connected, series of events, both hydrological and socio-political, stretching back through time and into the future through which the system develops and changes. Such historical connections between rivers and society 4 provide the prerequisite context for understanding how sediment and geomorphology have shaped human settlement and how anthropogenic imprints influence landscape and societal change. The two are inextricably linked.…”

“…It is thus essential to account for the ways that humans inhabit landscapes, the socio-politics of flooding, and the material power and agency of rivers, including the role of sediment, river dynamics and geomorphic change. The dominance of technocentric approaches to river dynamics closes off more profound understanding of how society and community shape vulnerability 4 . At a deeper level, flooding, and associated sediment dynamics, are examples of the need to examine the political economy and political ecology of socio-natural transformations more fully 21 , as well as the use of particular forms of knowledge 7 to better inform the dominant mode of thinking in resolving flood crises.…”