Water, Crime and Security in the Twenty-First Century

1. Front Matter

   Pages i-v

   PDF

2. Introduction

   • Avi Brisman, Bill McClanahan, Nigel South, Reece Walters

   Pages 1-12

3. Too Dirty: Water and Pollution

   • Avi Brisman, Bill McClanahan, Nigel South, Reece Walters

   Pages 13-52

4. Too Little: Water and Access

   • Avi Brisman, Bill McClanahan, Nigel South, Reece Walters

   Pages 53-90

5. Too Threatened: Water and Climate Change

   • Avi Brisman, Bill McClanahan, Nigel South, Reece Walters

   Pages 91-112

6. Too Costly: Water and Privatization

   • Avi Brisman, Bill McClanahan, Nigel South, Reece Walters

   Pages 113-147

7. Too Insecure: Water and Security

   • Avi Brisman, Bill McClanahan, Nigel South, Reece Walters

   Pages 149-182

8. Too Important: Water and Resistance

   • Avi Brisman, Bill McClanahan, Nigel South, Reece Walters

   Pages 183-213

9. Conclusion

   • Avi Brisman, Bill McClanahan, Nigel South, Reece Walters

   Pages 215-222

10. Back Matter

    Pages 223-236

    PDF

Water, Crime and Security in the Twenty-First Century represents criminology’s first book-length contribution to the study of water and water-related crimes, harms and security. The chapters cover topics such as: water pollution, access to fresh water in the Global North and Global South, water and climate change, the commodification of water and privatization, water security and pacification, and activism and resistance surrounding issues of access and pollution. With examples ranging from Rio de Janeiro to Flint, Michigan to the Thames River, this original study offers a comprehensive criminological overview of the contemporary and historical relationship between water and crime.  Coinciding with the International Decade for Action, “Water for Sustainable Development,” 2018–2028, this timely volume will be of particular relevance to students and scholars of green criminology, as well as those interested in critical geography, environmental anthropology, environmental sociology, political ecology, and the study of corporate crime and state crime.

• Water Pollution
• Freshwater access
• Water Abundance
• Climate Change
• Food Crime
• Water Crime
• Discourses of Security
• Resistance
• Environmental harms
• Flooding
• Deepwater Horizon
• Species extinction
• Overfishing
• Commodification of water
• Drought
• green criminology
• corporate crime

“This book should be useful to a wide range of undergraduate and graduate programs in the … fields outside criminology (beyond the obvious applicability to scholars of criminology), and it is written in an accessible enough manner for the general public.” (Nels Paulson, Critical Criminology, Vol. 28, 2020)

“Water is the essence of life. Is it any wonder then that it is at the heart of so many contemporary social conflicts? This fascinating, timely and troubling book casts a critical lens on the power, interests and social forces that are presently determining the quality, quantity and availability of fresh water worldwide. The authors persuasively argue that water is and ought to be a basic human right, precisely because it is essential for everyone, everywhere.” (Rob White, University of Tasmania, Australia)

“It took too long for a book which considers how much of the water landscape is riddled with criminal activities, harm and serious security issues, but now it is here. This is a must read for those who work on the relationship between water and social justice, and seek to find ways to fight for a more just hydro-social system.” (Professor Erik Swyngedouw, Department of Geography, University of Manchester, UK, author of Liquid Power and Social Power and the Urbanization of Water,MIT, 2015)

• School of Justice Studies College of Justice and Safety, Eastern Kentucky University, Richmond, KY, USA

  Avi Brisman, Bill McClanahan

• Department of Sociology, University of Essex, Colchester, Essex, United Kingdom

  Nigel South

• School of Justice Faculty of Law, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, Australia

  Reece Walters

Avi Brisman is Associate Professor in the School of Justice Studies at Eastern Kentucky University, USA; Adjunct Associate Professor in the School of Justice at Queensland University of Technology, Australia; and Conjoint Associate Professor in the Newcastle Law School at the University of Newcastle, Australia.   


Bill McClanahan is Assistant Professor in the School of Justice Studies at Eastern Kentucky University, USA. 
 
Nigel South is Professor and Director, Centre for Criminology, University of Essex, UK; Adjunct Professor, Crime and Justice Research Centre, Queensland University of Technology, Australia; and a Fellow of the Academy of Social Sciences.  
Reece Walters is Professor and Director of the Crime and Justice Research Centre at Queensland University of Technology, Australia; a Professorial Fellow at the Open University (UK); and Adjunct Professor, Faculty of Arts, University of Tasmania, Australia.

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