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Understanding Social Constructionism of Water Quality

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Social Constructions of Water Quality in South Africa

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Abstract

This chapter presents social constructionism as the theoretical framing used in this book. Research situated within the social sciences has to be driven by a theoretical framework that enables the researcher to concentrate on a social analysis of the topic. The subject matter of this book is dominated by the natural sciences and creates a stark contrast with the social sciences, which focuses on the human element. Perceptions, attitudes or constructions are core elements of the human condition. Coexistence between the human and natural sciences, between human beings and nature and between objective conditions and perceptions guided the research towards social constructionism as the foundation of this research conducted for this book. Social constructionism in the context of water is directly related to the hydrosocial cycle. The hydrosocial cycle is therefore an important concept underlying most of the discussions on social constructionism in this book. In this chapter, social constructionism is explained, followed by a discussion of the social construction of nature and the hydrosocial cycle and social constructionism of water and water quality through the use of examples that further illustrate how social constructions embed power relations.

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  1. Department of Development Studies, University of South Africa, Pretoria, Gauteng, South Africa

    Suvania Naidoo

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Naidoo, S. (2022). Understanding Social Constructionism of Water Quality. In: Social Constructions of Water Quality in South Africa. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-98237-9_2

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