Watered-down democratization: modernization versus social participation in water management in Northeast Brazil

Abstract

This article examines social participation in water management in the Jaguaribe Valley, state of Ceará, Northeast Brazil. It argues that participatory approaches are heavily influenced by the general ideological and symbolic contexts in which they occur, that is, by how participants understand (or misunderstand) what is taking place, and associate specific meanings to things and events. An analysis of these symbolic factors at work sheds light on the potentialities of and limitations on participatory experiences not accounted for in usual structural analyses. In the particular case of Ceará, this article describes how the idea of modernization, which is so pervasive in the ways economic development is presented in Brazil, provides a frame against which other meanings are constructed. In water management arenas, the presentation of participation as an aspect of the general modernization of the state has reorganized meanings and delegitimized some forms of knowledge and economic activities to the detriment of others. As a result, the promotion of equality through participation lost a great deal of efficacy, and this state of affairs provided some degree of social validation for asymmetries in participatory decision making processes.

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“…The professionalization of environmental management, promoted by foreign donors and policymakers, rationalizes the limited devolution of power to local communities, who are seen as lacking technical capacity and inclined to use resources inefficiently and unsustainably (Lebel et al ., ; Poteete and Ribot, ; Faye, ; Lund, ; Rutt et al ., ; Scheba and Mustalahti, ). This justifies the preponderance of technocrats on resource management committees, particularly in IWRM, given its emphasis on scientific data and expertise for rational planning (Lemos et al ., ; Orlove and Caton, ; Taddei, ). Though community members may be formally included, their arguments are often dismissed as ungrounded or unscientific (Li, ; Ojha, ; Rutt et al ., ; Mustapha et al ., ) and their ability to engage in debates and influence decisions is limited by knowledge disparities (Adams and Zulu, ; Faye, ) and hegemonic styles of public discourse (Cleaver and Toner, ; Mehta and Movik, ).…”

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“…Moreover, the participation of public power, users and communities must occur through river basin committees. Ceará's historic water committees have advantages in terms of participation [5], but when it comes to water resource management, participation can only be achieved when it "is framed by an analytical framework".…”