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THE ETHICAL IMPERATIVE: A Commentary on Karen Bakker's Privatizing Water
Author(s) -
Gidwani Vinay
Publication year - 2015
Publication title -
international journal of urban and regional research
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.456
H-Index - 114
eISSN - 1468-2427
pISSN - 0309-1317
DOI - 10.1111/1468-2427.12282
Subject(s) - anthropocentrism , dichotomy , economic justice , environmental ethics , sociology , political science , law , law and economics , epistemology , philosophy
The virtuosity of Karen Bakker's book, Privatizing Water, lies in its depth of understanding and methodical assessment of water provision, its refusal to lapse into the easy embrace of entrenched dichotomies, and its relentless commitment to asking how we can find solutions to urban water crises that are workable and just. Bakker strives to extend this notion of justice to both the human and non‐human realms. Whether she succeeds is moot, because ‘ecological rights', as Bakker terms them, ultimately remain firmly bound to the anthropocentric: the future possibility of ‘human' and ‘community' rights.