Erik Swyngedouw, in his work Liquid Power: Contested Hydro-Modernities in Twentieth-Century Spain, explores the relationship between water and urban development within the context of Spain’s political and social modernization. Using the history of the transformation of water resources in the country, Swyngedouw argues that water has not only been a vital resource, but also a central element in the political and economic projects that have shaped cities and rural landscapes. Through hydraulic infrastructure—such as the construction of dams and irrigation systems—water became a means of exercising power and control over territory. One of the key points of the book is how large-scale hydraulic works under the regime of Francisco Franco (1939–1975) sought not only to transform the natural environment, but also formed part of a broader project of authoritarian modernization.
The Francoist government used the construction of water infrastructure, such as dams and irrigation canals, to promote an image of progress and control. However, Erik Swyngedouw shows how these projects were also highly contested, as many local communities were displaced or saw their access to water altered, generating social and political tensions that persist to this day. Swyngedouw describes this transformation process as part of what he calls “hydro-modernity,” a concept that highlights how water and the technologies used to manage it are intertwined with power relations and state politics. In the case of Spain, water was a key resource for agricultural development and hydroelectric energy production, but these initiatives also reflected the regime’s political priorities, favoring certain sectors and regions at the expense of others.
In this way, water became a site of conflict, where struggles over access to and control of the resource revealed inequalities in the distribution of power and wealth. The author also examines how, after Spain’s democratic transition, water-related challenges did not disappear but instead took new forms. In the years following Francoism, water management became a central issue in debates over sustainability and regional development. Water policies adapted to new political realities, with a stronger focus on decentralization and the need to balance economic growth with environmental protection.
However, Swyngedouw argues that many of the fundamental tensions that emerged during the Franco regime—such as competition over water resources—remain unresolved. Moreover, Liquid Power: Contested Hydro-Modernities in Twentieth-Century Spain not only analyzes the history of water management in Spain, but also provides a theoretical framework for understanding how natural resources are transformed into tools of political and social power in different contexts. By studying the relationship between water, power, and territory, Swyngedouw underscores the importance of natural resources in shaping cities and regions, and how infrastructure projects can reflect the priorities and inequalities of political systems. In summary, the work of Erik Swyngedouw sheds light on the complex power dynamics underlying hydraulic infrastructure projects in Spain and beyond.
Through his analysis, he demonstrates how control over water is inseparable from social and political relations, and how water governance remains a crucial issue for understanding urban and rural transformations in the context of modernization and development.
