Practicing security: securitisation of transboundary rivers by hydrocrats in Himalayan South Asia

Vasani, Harsh ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5742-6860 (2023) Practicing security: securitisation of transboundary rivers by hydrocrats in Himalayan South Asia. GeoJournal, 88 (4). 3871–3887. ISSN 0343-2521

[thumbnail of Practicing security securitisation of transboundary rivers by hydrocrats in Himalayan South Asia]
Preview
PDF (Practicing security securitisation of transboundary rivers by hydrocrats in Himalayan South Asia) - Published Version
Available under License Creative Commons Attribution.

Download (1MB) | Preview

Abstract

This paper examines the intersection of regional geopolitics and the governance of transboundary rivers using the case studies of multipurpose reservoirs in Himalayan South Asia. It uncovers the various ways Indian hydrocracy uses its institutional and technical expertise to strengthen India’s centrality in Nepal’s water and hydropower sectors. The practices of security undertaken by the hydrocrats are classified as structural, institutional, and statutory acts. By focusing on practices of an epistemic community like hydrocrats, this paper addresses longstanding weaknesses of the securitisation theory of being elitist and ignoring the agency of mid-level bureaucrats. It also highlights the constructivist nature of international politics. The findings contribute empirically to securitisation theory’s ‘Paris School’ of thought.

Item Type: Article
Additional Information: Funding Information: This research was supported by a grant by the British International Studies Association. Fieldwork in Nepal was supported by a grant provided by the University of East Anglia.
Uncontrolled Keywords: brahmaputra,dams,hydropower,securitization,geography, planning and development ,/dk/atira/pure/subjectarea/asjc/3300/3305
Faculty \ School: Faculty of Social Sciences > School of Global Development (formerly School of International Development)
UEA Research Groups: Faculty of Social Sciences > Research Centres > Water Security Research Centre
University of East Anglia Schools > Faculty of Science > Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research
Faculty of Science > Research Centres > Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research
Related URLs:
Depositing User: LivePure Connector
Date Deposited: 27 Feb 2023 15:35
Last Modified: 23 Mar 2024 12:30
URI: https://ueaeprints.uea.ac.uk/id/eprint/91297
DOI: 10.1007/s10708-023-10836-3

Downloads

Downloads per month over past year

Actions (login required)

View Item View Item