
































Microsoft Word - Rodineliussen final.doc


	

	 1	

	
	

Normal	Water	
	
Jeremy	J.	Schmidt.	2019.	Water.	Abundance,	Scarcity,	and	Security	in	the	Age	of	Humanity.	
New	York	University	Press:	New	York,	320	pp,	ISBN:	9781479846429	
	
Water	 is	 a	 thought-provoking	 book	wherein	 the	 human	 geographer	 Jeremy	 J.	 Schmidt	
sets	out	on	a	task	to	retrieve	a	lost	philosophy	that	he	argues	is	the	very	basis	for	the	by	
now	common	assumption	 that	water	 is	 a	 resource	 (p.	224)	–	 it	 should	be	emphasized	
that	this	lost	philosophy	is	not	one	the	author	agrees	with	(p.	36).	This	narrative	is	told	
over	 230	 pages	 of	 intense	 philosophical	 history	 in	 the	 setting	 of	 the	 United	 States	 of	
America,	where,	as	he	argues,	 the	very	 idea	of	 “Normal	Water”	was	born,	and	which	 is	
the	 driving	 force	 behind	 today’s	 view	 on	 water	 as	 a	 resource.	Water	 consists	 of	 nine	
chapters,	divided	in	 four	parts	that	mostly	 follows	the	subtitle	of	 the	book:	Abundance,	
Scarcity,	 Security,	 and	 Rethinking	 the	 Anthropocene.	 Prior	 to	 the	 chapters	 there	 is	 an	
introduction	that	sets	the	stage	and	they	are	followed	by	a	conclusion	rounding	up	the	
arguments	of	the	book	as	well	as	situating	them	within	a	forward-looking	Anthropocene	
context.		
	
At	 first,	 it	 seems	 appropriate	 to	 define	 the	 title	 of	 this	 review,	 as	 it	 is	 a	 core	 concept	
running	 through	 the	 book:	Normal	Water:	 “a	 program	 for	 bringing	water’s	 social	 and	
evolutionary	 possibilities	 into	 the	 service	 of	 liberal	 forms	 of	 life”	 (p.	 4).	 From	 this	
definition	Schmidt	continues	 to	explain	 that,	 “Initially,	 crafting	a	common	way	 to	 think	
about	water	was	accomplished	by	categorizing	it	as	a	resource.	This	classification	is	now	
so	common	that	 it	appears	natural,	but	 in	the	United	States	water	was	not	a	 ‘resource’	
until	1909”	(p.	4-5).	But	why	does	it	matter	that	water	is	defined	as	a	resource?	And	how	
did	 it	 end	 up	 that	way?	 These	 are	 core	 questions	 of	 the	 book	 that	 Schmidt	 takes	 the	
reader	along	 to	discover	and	discuss	–	hence,	 I	will	 leave	 them	for	 the	reader	–	would	
hate	 to	 take	 away	 the	 fun!	However,	what	 I	 found	especially	 interesting	 in	 the	book	 is	
how	Schmidt	illustrates	the	political	as	well	as	intellectual	developments	in	the	U.S.	for	
over	a	decade	–	pointing	out	how	the	philosophy	of	water	management	became	key	to	
organize	 liberal	 ways	 of	 life	 first	 nationally,	 but	 later	 also	 as	 a	 tool	 for	 international	
engagement	and	influence	(p.	71).		
	
In	the	first	part	of	the	book,	Abundance,	there	are	three	chapters.	The	story	starts	in	the	
U.S.	 showing	 how	 “despite	 their	 own	 pretences	 to	 objectivity,	water	managers	 crafted	
their	own	myth	around	the	belief	that	liberal	societies	are	uniquely	equipped	to	manage	
the	 vast	 array	 of	 social	 and	 evolutionary	 possibilities	made	 available	 by	 water”	 (p.5).	



	

	 2	

Water	 management	 was	 part	 of	 separating	 the	 colonial	 ties	 to	 Britain,	 as	 well	 as	 of	
scaling	up	American	influence	internationally.	In	the	book	Schmidt	illustrates	how	water	
was	first	defined	as	a	resource	in	order	to	be	managed	so	that	America	could	rise	beyond	
European	 civilization,	 “because	mastery	 of	water	was,	 in	 fact,	mastery	 of	 evolutionary	
abundance”	(p.76).	
	
The	second	part	of	the	book,	Scarcity,	consists	of	two	chapters	that	lay	out	the	idea	that	
the	 once	 abundant	 water	 was	 now	 becoming	 scarce	 (p.	 95).	 This	 was	 done	 with	 the	
intention	 to	 promote	 international	 development	 and	 spread	 national	 American	
liberalism	abroad.	For	example,	in	Chapter	4,	Schmidt	illustrates	how	water	management	
travels,	 when	 David	 Lilienthal	 visited	 the	 Indus	 Basin,	 located	 between	 India	 and	
Pakistan,	 in	 1951	 in	 order	 to	 broker	 a	 peaceful	 deal	 between	 the	 two	 countries	while	
developing	water	 (p.	 111).	Dams	were	 important	 as	 liberal	powerhouses	where	water	
could	be	 stored	 as	 a	 scarce	 resource	 (p.	 114).	But	 something	 else	was	needed	 to	 fully	
make	the	claim	that	water	was	a	scarce	resource.	Namely,	the	factor	of	demand	had	to	be	
included	 (p.	 115).	 “As	 abundance	 was	 buried	 behind	 large	 dams,	 the	 shift	 to	 scarcity	
appeared	to	happen	in	short	order.”	That	water	was	scarce	was	declared	already	in	1977	
at	 the	UN	Conference	on	Water,	with	the	“appearance	of	a	crisis”	(p.	116).	However,	as	
Schmidt	illustrates,	there	was	nothing	sudden	about	this	shift,	as	it	could	be	traced	back	
to	early	1900	U.S.	water	management	schemes.	From	here	followed	the	idea	of	“Rational	
Planning,”	 that	meant	“there	was	enough	water	–	but	not	 if	 this	scarce	resource	wasn’t	
valued	correctly”	(p.	132)	–	by	valued	I	understand	managed.		
	
In	 the	third	part	of	 the	book,	Security,	 the	readers	are	 lead	to	understand	how	Normal	
Water	 goes	 Global	 (Ch	 6)	 with	 the	 help	 of	 the	 idea	 of	 “Integrated	 Water	 Resource	
Management”	 that	 “took	hold	of	 the	 sustainable	development	 agenda	when	 it	 came	 to	
water”	 (p.	 143).	 IWRM	 became	 a	 platform	 that	 connected	 management	 and	
development,	looking	at	water	as	an	economic	resource.	However,	things	developed	and	
IWRM	fell	out	of	favour	and	got	exchanged	for	a	new	concept:	“the	Water-Energy-Food-
Climate	Nexus”	(Ch	7).	This	shift	 takes	us	 into	the	new	water	decade	(2005-2015)	and	
the	birth	of	the	resilience	concept,	as	well	as	“blue”	and	“green”	water	(p.	168-9).	
	
The	 final	 part	 of	 the	 book,	 Rethinking	 the	 Anthropocene,	 brings	 the	 so-far	 historical	
perspective	 of	 the	 book	 into	 the	 present.	 Illustrating	 how	 the	 “lost	 philosophy”	 now	
retrieved	 is	 crucial	 for	 our	 future-thinking	 in	 the	 Anthropocene,	 Schmidt	 writes:	
“Disrupting	 the	naturalization	of	process	 and	 the	 social	 pretences	 that	position	 liberal	
forms	 of	 life	 as	 uniquely	 equipped	 to	manage	 geological	 contingencies	 is	 the	 political	
task	of	the	Anthropocene”	(p.	201).	This	is	partly	done	by	recognizing	that	water	defined	
as	a	resource	is	now	haunting	us	as	a	“premature	naturalization	of	process”	(p.	206).	As	
one	of	his	closing	arguments	Schmidt	argues,	“social	scientists	should	refuse	the	notion	
that	water	resources	is	a	neutral	category”	(p.	229).		
	



	

	 3	

Before	closing	this	review,	 let	me	state	 the	book's	relevance	 for	 the	Anthropology	Book	
Forum,	as	well	as	note	who	the	interested	reader	might	be.	Schmidt	is	well-travelled	in	
anthropological	theory	and	engages	anthropological	theoretical	debates	throughout	the	
book.	 Moreover,	 many	 of	 the	 key	 protagonists	 of	 his	 story	 are	 in	 fact	 early	
anthropologists	 such	 as	 WJ	 McGee	 (Schmidt	 stresses	 that	 McGee	 did	 not	 want	 any	
punctuations	in	order	to	save	ink),	who	was	president	of	the	American	Anthropological	
Association	from	1902-1912.	The	book	does	also	engage,	among	others,	Margaret	Mead	
and	Franz	Boas.	So,	for	the	interested	anthropological	reader	–	there	is	much	historical	
food	 for	 thought.	Water	 is	 going	 to	 be	 of	 interest	 to	 scholars	 of	 water,	 international	
development,	 American	 history,	 liberalism,	 and	 not	 least	 for	 those	 interested	 in	 the	
Anthropocene.	 The	 book	 is	 not	 a	 light	 read,	 as	 it	 is	 philosophically	 and	 theoretically	
heavy,	so	I	would	recommend	it	for	graduate	courses	and	post-graduate	scholars	as	well	
as	for	a	general	reader	that	is	not	a	novice	to	the	subject.		
	
I	 want	 to	 add	 a	 caveat;	 exactly	 because	 this	 book	 is	 so	 packed	 with	 historical	 and	
philosophical	knowledge	it	is	not	the	easiest	book	to	review.	Not	because	I	do	not	like	it	–	
I	do!	–	but	choosing	what	to	take	away	from	the	book	was	difficult.	Hence,	readers	of	this	
review	 might	 find	 that	 many	 important	 points	 are	 left	 out.	 I	 do	 not,	 for	 example,	
mention:	 “Earth-making”	 (p.	 45),	 “the	 People”	 (Ch	 3),	 the	 “International	 Hydrological	
Decade”	(p.	118),	or	the	Tennessee	Valley	Authority	(p.	118).	Some	gems	are	still	hidden	
in	this	dense	but	important	read.	To	end,	let	us	ask	one	of	the	most	important	questions	
of	the	book,	what	is	Water	comprised	of?	According	to	Schmidt	(p.	33),	scientists	cannot	
agree	on	what	“water”	is	–	so	how	could	a	simple	review	define	such	a	grand	question?		
	
Rasmus	Rodineliussen	is	a	PhD	student	at	the	department	of	Social	Anthropology,	
Stockholm	University.	His	current	research	lies	within	the	domain/intersection	of	
environmental	anthropology	and	political	ecology	focusing	on	the	relationship	between	
water	and	waste.	He	has	worked	with	migration	and	refugee	studies,	mainly	focusing	on	
Syria.	Rasmus	has	published	in	peer-reviewed	journals	such	as	Anthropology	Now,	
Anthrovision,	Irish	Journal	of	Anthropology,	and	Visual	studies	and	is	currently	co-editor	
of	the	Anthropology	Book	Forum. 
	

	
© 2021 Rasmus Rodineliussen 


