When control and separation end. How to think about Odra River in different terms?

Abstract (English)

This presentation explores management of Odra River while taking into account historical and current processes. I focus on the ways in which the river was managed and controlled during Prussian rule, after World War II with a culmination point during flood in 1997 and after this flood - how it is controlled nowadays. It is important for me not only to introduce ways of managing and controlling Odra, but also how they were and are intertwined with human relationships with water, more-than-humans and an increase in the frequency of climate disasters. I want to portray the Odra River as pulsating with relations (Rose 2017) and in terms of more-than-human sociality (Tsing 2013). By looking at historical processes and longstanding human separation from environment, which both shapes human relationships with river, my aim is to consider other ways of thinking about the Odra River. As Veronica Strang I argue that imposing more material control over water flows does not lead to sustainable solutions (Strang 2021:407). This presentation is based on research conducted in Wroclaw, Poland.