Open AccessWater Modernity and Society in Linz, ca. 1700–1900
Author(s) -
Georg Stöger,
Luisa Pichler-Baumgartner
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
ur journal of humanities and social sciences
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
ISSN - 2543-8379
DOI - 10.15584/johass.2021.2.4
Subject(s) - modernity , modernization theory , narrative , trace (psycholinguistics) , perspective (graphical) , water supply , sociology , political science , environmental ethics , environmental science , environmental engineering , law , art , philosophy , linguistics , literature , visual arts
This article investigates the transition to a modern water supply and sewage disposal system. By focussing on the of the Upper Austrian mid-size city of Linz in a long-term perspective from circa 1700 to 1900, we trace continuities and disruptions of existing solutions and question the narrative of modernisation. We research the actors involved in the decision-making and implementation processes, paying special attention to the so-far neglected group of city inhabitants and their motives. Finally, we raise questions of integration and exclusion with regard to water.