Andrea Zinzani | Università di Bologna (original) (raw)

Books by Andrea Zinzani

In the framework of Political Geography of Water, this book examines the logics of water policies... more In the framework of Political Geography of Water, this book examines the logics of water policies implementation in the Central Asian region. Reflecting on the relations between political power, water policies and the hydraulic territories, it analyzes the Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM) implementation -the global water paradigm promoted by the development organizations since the 1990s -its logics and rationales, in Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan at the basin / local level. Based on detailed, actor-oriented and comparative field-research in two river basins, the main findings highlight how the IWRM implementation was reconfigured by the two states in order to pursue specific socio-political strategies, in contradiction with the paradigm's aims and the narratives of international development.

Papers by Andrea Zinzani

Political Geography, 2023

In the framework of critical geographies post-political theory has discussed the depoliticization... more In the framework of critical geographies post-political theory has discussed the depoliticization of politics, technocratic urban governance and the nature of the political as a heterogeneous radical space of disagreement and solidarity. However, the concept of community in relation to post-politics and, in particular, the political requires further exploration. Building on Roberto Esposito’s conceptualization of communitas, our article contributes to the theoretical reflection on political community by exploring the evolution of conflicting relations between institutional politics and urban struggles in Bologna, Italy. The findings discuss the fragmentation of the local political community due to the neutralization of dissent together with divergent and exclusive political stances unable to advance a shared front to challenge political mechanisms. In relation to this fragmentation, we reflect on the nature of socio-environmental struggles as a possible move to build a political community to advance new ontologies in the direction of environmental and climate justice.

Rivista Geografica Italiana, 2023

Geografie della crisi eco-climatica in montagna: produzione sociale dell'ambiente e futuri contes... more Geografie della crisi eco-climatica in montagna: produzione sociale dell'ambiente e futuri contesi nelle Dolomiti Parole chiave: ecologia politica, etnografia, ambiente, montagna, crisi eco-climatica, Dolomiti. Nel quadro della crisi eco-climatica, della governance e dei relativi processi di policymaking a scala globale, negli ultimi anni la geografia e l'ecologia politica hanno evidenziato la natura socio-politica e controversa dell'ambiente e delle relative trasformazioni. Tuttavia l'analisi di questi processi nell'ambiente montano necessita un ulteriore approfondimento in relazione agli effetti della crisi eco-climatica e alle eterogenee traiettorie di sviluppo e conservazione che caratterizzano oggi le terre alte. Mettendo in dialogo la prospettiva dell'ecologia politica con le geografie della montagna, questo contributo mira a riflettere sulla produzione sociale dell'ambiente montano, e relativi futuri, nelle Dolomiti, attraverso l'analisi della governance, dei progetti di sviluppo e delle rivendicazioni ambientali. La ricerca, attraverso una metodologia etnografica, ha evidenziato la natura politica, controversa e contesa degli equilibri socio-ambientali, e nello specifico delle visioni di futuro dell'ambiente dolomitico alla luce della crisi eco-climatica. Pertanto, il caso delle Dolomiti fornisce un contributo significativo per riflettere sui processi progressivi di ripoliticizzazione dell'ambiente montano, mentre l'integrazione teorico-metodologica tra ecologia politica ed etnografia propone una prospettiva innovativa per l'avanzamento delle geografie della montagna.

Geographica Helvetica, 2023

In recent years, the eco-climate crisis has intensified the institutional debate on sustainable e... more In recent years, the eco-climate crisis has intensified the institutional debate on sustainable environmental futures and the need to boost green transition policies. Scholars in critical geography and political ecology have discussed the controversial nature of these policies and argued that structural transformation is needed, focused specifically on environmental conservation. However, little attention has been paid to mountain environments, which today are significantly affected by the eco-climate crisis and characterized by controversial trajectories of development, conservation and valorization. Therefore, by bringing together the political ecology of conservation and mountain geographies, this contribution reflects on the environmental futures of the Dolomites, in the eastern Alps, through an analysis of governance processes, conservation visions and rising environmental struggles. The Dolomites show the contested nature of environmental futures and their politicization, between ideas of accumulation by sustainability and radical environmental visions. Moreover, they encompass experiences and practices that envision a convivial conservation perspective with the potential to advance the political ecology of the mountain, with specific reference to the Global North.

Seminar conducted at the Leibniz Center for Tropical Marine Ecology, Bremen, Germany, September 2016

Wahrend bei den Kryptogamen durch eine Reihe eingehender Arbeiten eine Analyse des Wachstums und ... more Wahrend bei den Kryptogamen durch eine Reihe eingehender Arbeiten eine Analyse des Wachstums und der Zellteilungsvorgange in der SproBspitze und in den Blattanlage'n gelungen ist, haben die bei den phanerogamen Pflanzen angestellten Untersuchungen bislang nicht zu dem gleichen Erfolge gefiihrt. In ihren zu Anfang der 70er Jahre veroffentlichten Arbeiten iiber die Entwicklung der Stammscheitel der Phanerogamen gehen v. Hanstein, Russow, Schmitz und andere in der Hauptsache nur auf die Sonderung des Urmeristems in Dermatogen, Periblem und Plerom und die Differenzierung des letzteren in Grund-und Leitbiindelgewebe ein. Schmitz gibt allerdings in seiner Habilitationsschrift: ,Beobachtungen iiber die Entwicklung der SproBspitze der Phanerogamen" eine etwas genauere Untersuchung iiber die Entstehung der seitlichen Ausgliederungen mehrerer Dicotylen aus den verschiedenen Zellagen des Urmeristems, doch konnte er mit den damaligen Hilfsmitteln die einzelnen Teilungsschritte bei Anlage der jugendlichen Blatter und Sprosse nicht verfolgen. Immerhin sah er bereits, daB das Mesophyll des Blattes samt den in ihm liegenden Blattbiindeln aus dem Periblem allein hervorgeht. Mitte der 80er Jahre glaubte man bei den Phanerogamen ein dem der Kryptogamen entsprechendes Scheitelzellwachstum gefunden zu haben. Ich nenne die Arbeiten von Dingler: ,Scheitelwachstum der Gymnospermen" und Korschelt: ,Zur Frage iiber das Scheitelwachstum bei Phanerogamen", in denen die Ansicht vertreten wird, daB es sich bei den Phanerogamen urn ein Wachstum mit einer Scheitelzelle handle. Dieser Ansicht tntt Percy Groom, ein Schiiler Strasburger's, in seiner 1885 erschienenen Mitteilung: , Uber Vegetationspunkte der Phanerogamen" entgegen, aber zu einer iiberzeugenden Losung des Problems kam er nicht. Erst die neuere Zeit brachte wieder einzelne Untersuchungen auf diesem Gebiet, so diejenigen Haberlandts iiber die SproBentwicklung bei Ceratophyllum demersum, in denen ausgefiihrt wird, daB im SproBscheitel dieser Pflanze Dermatogen, Periblem und Plerom mit eigenen Initialen wachsen, und zwar das Plerom mit einer dreischneidigen Scheitelzelle, wahrend die Zahl der Periblem-und Dermatogenzellen durch anti-und perikline Teilungen der Scheitelinitialen sich vermehrt. Die letzten Arbeiten, die auf unser Thema Bezug haben, riihren von Leon Flot her. Sie fiihren den Titel: ,Recherches sur la naissance des feuilles et sur l'origine foliaire de la tig~." Eine genaue Analyse der Wachstumsweise der SproBscheitel und der jungen Blattanlagen fiihrt der Verfasser nicht durch.

GeoJournal, 2021

In the framework of critical geographies of the environment, this paper discusses European enviro... more In the framework of critical geographies of the environment, this paper discusses European environmental governance and reflects on its policies, practices and discourses. In this context, we analyze the Water Framework Directive (WFD) as a key, ground-breaking policy aimed at reconfiguring European water governance by foregrounding principles of sustainability and participation. By adopting a political ecology approach and the post-ecology analytical perspective, this research analyzes the nature of the WFD with its aims of reconfiguring national water politics in terms of policies, mechanisms and discourses by reflecting on the contradictions and controversies surrounding the directive. Methodologically, the research uses a critical analysis and review of both theoretical and empirical academic literature and policy reports. The paper shows that political ecology, and the post-ecology perspective in particular, can be used to critically reflect on the WFD as a policy oriented towa...

Riassunto - A partire dal crollo dell’URSS nelle repubbliche Centro-Asiatiche si sono verificati ... more Riassunto - A partire dal crollo dell’URSS nelle repubbliche Centro-Asiatiche si sono verificati importanti cambiamenti nella gestione e nel controllo delle acque che hanno condotto ad una serie di mutamenti istituzionali ed organizzativi. Al fine di supportare questi processi di transizione e orientarli verso un approccio sostenibile, a partire dagli anni ’90 diversi organismi internazionali hanno iniziato a promuovere l’Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM), l’attuale paradigma globale nella gestione delle acque. Questo articolo discute i processi di implementazione dell’IWRM e relative logiche socio-politiche, in Uzbekistan e Kazakhstan a livello locale, seguendo un approccio comparativo. Dal punto di vista metodologico tre distretti, rispettivamente in due valli (Zeravshan in Uzbekistan e Arys in Kazakhstan) sono stati investigati, focalizzandosi sulle agenzie di bacino e sulle Water Users Associations (WUAs). Dai due Paesi è emerso che l’IWRM non è stato implementato come promosso inizialmente dai donors, ma è stato fortemente influenzato e distorto dai poteri politici nazionali al fine di perseguire i propri obiettivi socio-politici. ABSTRACT: Water Management Issues and IWRM logics in Central Asia: A Comparative Approach between the Middle Zeravshan Valley (Uzbekistan) and the Arys Valley (Kazakhstan) - Since the collapse of the Soviet Union in the Central Asian states relevant changes in water management and control have occurred leading to multiple organizational and institutional transformations. With the aim to support this transition and orient this process towards a sustainable approach, since the 1990s several international organizations have started promoting the Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM), the current water management global paradigm. This article aims to discuss the IWRM implementation process and related socio-political issues and logics in Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan at the local level, according to a comparative approach. Concerning the methodology, three districts in two valleys (Middle Zeravshan and Arys) were investigated focusing on the River Basin Agencies and the Water Users Associations (WUAs). The evidence from the two states has shown that IWRM was not implemented as initially promoted by the donors, but it was strongly influenced and shaped by national political structures in order to achieve their own socio-political aims.

Water, Technology and the Nation-State, 2018

RIASSUNTO: Nell’ambito del dibattito sulla geografia dell’ambiente, il presente contributo mira a... more RIASSUNTO: Nell’ambito del dibattito sulla geografia dell’ambiente, il presente contributo mira a fornire in primo luogo una riflessione critica sul concetto di governance ambientale e sui complessi processi politici che la contraddistinguono attraverso l’approccio dell’ecologia politica. In secondo luogo, nell’ambito della riconcettualizzazione delle relazioni socio-ambientali, l’attenzione si focalizza sui boschi urbani, e sul contributo dell’ecologia politica nell’analisi di queste realtà socioambientali. SUMMARY: Reconceptualising governance and socio-environmental relations: Towards a political ecology of urban forests– In the framework of the geography of the environment, this contribution aims to provide firstly a critical reflection on the concept of environmental governance,and related complex political processes, through a political ecology approach. Secondly, by discussing the reconceptualisation of socio-environmental relations, this contribution focuses on urban forests and on the political ecology contribution in the analysis of these complex socio-environmental realities

Geography Notebooks, 2020

Relations between human society, nature and the environment have long played a key role in the ge... more Relations between human society, nature and the environment have long played a key role in the geographical debate. In this framework, political ecology has become a critical research field integrating heterogeneous theoretical and epistemological perspectives with socio-political and territorial knowledge, practices and experiences. While for a couple of decades this field has played a considerable role in international geographical literature, in the Italian debate it is still marginal. This contribution therefore aims to provide a framework for reflection and synthesis on how political ecology, through concepts and interpretative keys, contributes to re-discussing socio-environmental relations, highlighting their metabolic, political and conflictual nature, and proposing alternative future scenarios. Specifically, in the framework of global environmental governance and the contemporary ecological crisis, the focus is on socio-environmental conflict, in dialogue with post-politics...

Nel quadro delle relazioni tra società ed ambiente, questo contributo mira a riflettere sulle int... more Nel quadro delle relazioni tra società ed ambiente, questo contributo mira a riflettere sulle interazioni tra cambiamenti climatici, governance ambientale e sviluppo. Nello specifico, si presenta il quadro internazionale delle politiche dell'acqua, e relative problematiche socio-ambientali, attraverso l'approccio dell'ecologia politica, che mira ad analizzare in modo critico la dimensione socio-politica e di potere dei cambiamenti e delle trasformazioni ambientali. CLIMATE CHANGE, WATER AND THE POLITICAL ECOLOGY APPROACH In the context of society and environment relations, this contribution aims at reflecting on climate change, global environmental governance and development interactions. Specifically, this paper presents the context of international water policies and related socio-environmental issues through a policital ecology approach, which aims to critically analyse socio-political and power dimensions of environmental changes.

In the framework of the Political Ecology of Water, and specifically of international development... more In the framework of the Political Ecology of Water, and specifically of international development policies and hydro-social relations interfaces, this contribution aims to analyze how the establishment of the Chu-Talas Interstate Commission has influenced rescaling processes and reconfigured the hydrosocial cycle and power relations in the Talas waterscape (KyrgyzstanKazakhstan) at the borderlands level. Through the hydrosocial cycle analysis and the focus on the role of water institutions and linked political discourses, on water users practices, and transboundary infrastructures management, data were collected through semi-structured interviews and informal talks in six villages of the waterscape. The evidence shows that whereas the establishment of the Chu-Talas Commission led to a complex multi-level rescaling process, in contrast, the hydrosocial cycle has been slightly reconfigured by the formalization of the development initiative, but rather by recent internal political tran...

Since the collapse of the Soviet Union water management in Central Asia has been affected by diff... more Since the collapse of the Soviet Union water management in Central Asia has been affected by different institutional changes which led to socio-political, technical and environmental issues, in particular at the local level. In order to address this context, since the nineties several international agencies have sought to promote participatory irrigation management (PIM) and water users associations (WUAs) in the region. This article aims to discuss these initiatives, their implementation and logic in two areas, Samarkand province (Uzbekistan) and South-Kazakhstan province (Kazakhstan), according to a qualitative comparative approach.

In the framework of the political ecology of water, and specifically of international development... more In the framework of the political ecology of water, and specifically of international development policies and hydrosocial relations interfaces, this contribution aims to analyze how the establishment of the Chu-Talas Interstate Commission has influenced rescaling processes and reconfigured the hydrosocial cycle and power relations in the Talas waterscape (Kyrgyzstan-Kazakhstan) at the borderland level. Through the hydrosocial cycle analysis and the focus on the role of water institutions and linked political discourses, on water users practices, and transboundary infrastruc-tures management, data were collected through semi-structured interviews and informal talks in six villages of the waterscape. The evidence shows that whereas the establishment of the Chu-Talas Commission led to a complex multi-level rescaling process, in contrast, the hydrosocial cycle has been slightly reconfigured by the formalization of the development initiative, but rather by recent internal political tran...

Üriner sistem enfeksiyonları sağlık bakım ilişkili enfeksiyonlar arasında en sık olarak görülmekt... more Üriner sistem enfeksiyonları sağlık bakım ilişkili enfeksiyonlar arasında en sık olarak görülmekte ve yaklaşık %60-80'i katetere bağlı olarak gelişmektedir. Bu enfeksiyonların önlenmesine ilişkin alınan önlemlerin morbidite ve mortalite oranlarını azaltacağı bilinmektedir. Bu çalışma genel cerrahi kliniklerinde çalışan hemşirelerin KİÜSE (Kateter İlişkili Üriner Sistem Enfeksiyonları) önlenmesine yönelik uygulamalarını belirlemek amacıyla yapılmıştır. Gereç-Yöntem: Araştırma, Adana'da bir üniversite hastanesinin genel cerrahi kliniklerinde çalışan hemşirelerle yapılmıştır. Veriler anket formu ve gözlem formu aracılığıyla toplanmıştır. Gözlem formu KİÜSE'nin önlenmesine yönelik "Kateterin Yerleştirilmesi (10 uygulama)", "Kateter Bakımı (7 uygulama)" ve "İdrar Torbası Kullanımı (8 uygulama)" olmak üzere toplam 25 kanıta dayalı uygulamadan oluşmaktadır. Veriler katılımlı gözlem yöntemi ile toplanmıştır. Hemşireler uygulamaları yaparken 3'er kez gözlenmiş ve her uygulamaya bir (1) puan verilmiş, ortalama puan hesaplanmıştır. Değerlendirme sonunda total uygulama puanı (0-75) hesaplanmıştır.

Political Geography, 2023

Rivista Geografica Italiana, 2023

Geographica Helvetica, 2023

Seminar conducted at the Leibniz Center for Tropical Marine Ecology, Bremen, Germany, September 2016

GeoJournal, 2021

Water, Technology and the Nation-State, 2018

Geography Notebooks, 2020

Environmental Development, 2021

Abstract In the context of contemporary climate and environmental change, both natural and social... more Abstract In the context of contemporary climate and environmental change, both natural and social scientists have stressed the role urban green spaces play in global warming adaptation strategies. Indeed, in recent years these spaces have become central to institutional political debates and various policies have been designed for their valorization. However, little attention has been paid to rewilded urban spaces, recently defined as novel urban ecosystems, and to their socio-ecological complexity. By adopting an interdisciplinary approach that links natural and social science perspectives, this article aims to highlight the role of novel urban ecosystems in the reconfiguration of urban policies. Indeed, this contribution analyzes ecosystem services coupled with the hybrid, contested socio-ecological nature of four case studies in Italy characterized by grassroots socio-environmental mobilization. Data were collected through comparative quantitative and qualitative methods. The findings show that the specific ecological features of novel urban ecosystems are strategic in terms of actual and potential ecosystem service provision for cities and suggests that citizens play a fundamental role in recognizing and valorizing them. In parallel, these spaces, reconceptualized as contested novel ecosystems, emerge as controversial hybrid urban socio-natures that enable community empowerment and produce a heterogeneous, grassroots political space oriented towards urban commons and environmental and climate justice.

Effimera , 2019

An analysis of the socio-environmental conflict in the course of the regeneration process of Prat... more An analysis of the socio-environmental conflict in the course of the regeneration process of Prati di Caprara in Bologna (Italy): how urban political ecology can help us framing the politics and nature of urban forests.

BLOG Entitle European Network of Political Ecology, 2019

The depoliticized narrative of the Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM) framework has bee... more The depoliticized narrative of the Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM) framework has been reshaped by countries in order to consolidate and reconfigure national hydro-socio-political interactions.

Geneva Water Hub / University of Geneva, Jul 2015

In Bonazzi A., Frixa E. (Eds.) "Mercati Storici, Rigenerazione e Consumo Urbano: il caso di Bologna. Franco Angeli, Scienze Geografiche, 2019

Commercio, consumo e città: pratiche pianificazione e governance per l'inclusione, la resilienza ... more Commercio, consumo e città: pratiche pianificazione e governance per l'inclusione, la resilienza e la sostenibilità urbane. In copertina: Creative Commons Attribuzione-Non Commerciale-Non opere derivate 4.0 Internazionale L'opera, comprese tutte le sue parti, è tutelata dalla legge sul diritto d'autore. L'Utente nel momento in cui effettua il download dell'opera accetta tutte le condizioni della licenza d'uso dell'opera previste e comunicate sul sito

Memorie Geografiche - Società di Studi Geografici , 2019

SUMMARY: Reconceptualising governance and socio-environmental relations: Towards a political ecology of urban forests–

In the framework of the geography of the environment, this
contribution aims to provide firstly a critical reflection on the concept of environmental governance,and related complex political processes, through a political ecology approach. Secondly, by discussing the reconceptualisation of socio-environmental relations, this contribution focuses on urban forests and on the political ecology contribution in the analysis of these complex socio-environmental realities

in Menga F., Swyngedouw, E., "Water, Technology and the Nation-State", Routledge, Earthscan Studies of Water Resource Management, 2018

This is an accepted manuscript of a chapter published in Menga, F., Swyngedouw, E., Eds. (2018) W... more This is an accepted manuscript of a chapter published in Menga, F., Swyngedouw, E., Eds. (2018) Water, Technology, and the Nation-State. Routledge Earthscan.]

Talk at the European Geosciences Meeting, Wien, May 2014

Public Presentation at the University of Fribourg, June 2014