Jordan River |
Political nature of water and history
Jordan riVER: Political Nature of the river
How has water and the jordan river contributed to regional instability and led to the notion of eco-violence?
Rivers have been associated for many young children a place to swim in, go fishing in, and as a meeting point for friends on warm days. Swimming in rivers, ponds, and lakes are part of the story of growing up during the summer when the cool splash of water rushes over the body and face. However, as most sources of water when you were a child were part of nature and available for recreational use by both animals and humans, the bodies of water we associated ourselves with were never a source of mass pollution, dividing bodies of water between contested nation-states, or had complex implications in the international sphere of politics and survival.
The Jordan River presents a case study of how bodies of water can be points of contention in state building, resources for millions of individuals, and the implications of dwindling resources. Further, as the world has been socialized into viewing the Middle East as a contentious and violent place of political and religious extremism, focus on the Jordan River presents a single focus in understanding the river and the region without expanding upon the centuries of complex, intertwined history.
Get your boat ready and lets explore the Jordan River!
The Jordan River presents a case study of how bodies of water can be points of contention in state building, resources for millions of individuals, and the implications of dwindling resources. Further, as the world has been socialized into viewing the Middle East as a contentious and violent place of political and religious extremism, focus on the Jordan River presents a single focus in understanding the river and the region without expanding upon the centuries of complex, intertwined history.
Get your boat ready and lets explore the Jordan River!