Water is not (yet) a commodity: Commodification and rationalization revisited

Abstract

The article examines the process of water commodification as part of the long-term process of capitalist rationalisation. It explores these processes in the light of Norbert Elias’ concept of the ‘triad of basic controls’, which casts light on the mechanisms developed by humans in the course of human history to establish controls over the non-human world as well as on inter- and intra-human relationships. The article discusses the commodification and valuation of freshwater exploring the internal tensions and contradictions of capitalist rationalisation and its interplay with alternative rationalities that characterise water-related human interactions. It argues that if a conceptually restricted concept of commodification is applied, then we can conclude that most water in the planet remains un-commodified owing to the slow and fragmentary character of the capitalist rationalization process in water-related human interactions.