Abstract
This chapter investigates the rise and political effects of bottled water markets and a new practice: carrying and constantly sipping water from plastic bottles. A focus on practices challenges the idea that there is a singular ‘politics’ of bottled water that can be read off the effects of this new conduct and that it is possible to critique these effects in advance. Instead, it is necessary to investigate how mobile drinking emerged, what kinds of accountability relations sustain it and how this practice animates the bottle and the water as materials and devices capable of ontologically interfering with more sustainable drinking water practices.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
References
Brown, W. 2015. Undoing the Demos. Cambridge, MA: The MIT Press.
Callon, M., C. Méadel, and V. Rabeharisoa. 2002. The Economy of Qualities. Economy and Society 31 (2): 194–218.
Cochoy, F., and C. Grandclément-Chaffy. 2005. Publicizing Goldilocks’ Choice at the Supermarket: The Political Work of Shopping Packs, Carts and Talk. In Making Things Public—Atmospheres of Democracy, ed. B. Latour and P. Weibel, 646–657. Cambridge, MA: ZKM and MIT Press.
Hagberg, J. 2016. Agencing Practices: A Historical Exploration of Shopping Bags. Consumption, Markets and Culture 19: 111–132.
Hawkins, G. 2012. The Performativity of Food Packaging: Market Devices, Waste Crisis and Recycling. Sociological Review 60 (2): 66–83.
Hawkins, G., E. Potter, and K. Race. 2015. Plastic Water: The Social and Material Life of Bottled Water. Cambridge, MA: The MIT Press.
Latour, B. 2004. How to Talk About the Body? The Normative Dimension of Science Studies. Body and Society 10 (2–3): 205–229.
Marres, N. 2007. The Issues Deserve More Credit: Pragmatist Contributions to the Study of Public Involvement in Controversy. Social Studies of Science 37 (5): 759–781.
Michael, M. 2017. Actor-Network Theory—Trials, Trails and Translations. London: Sage.
Mol, A. 2002. The Body Multiple: Ontology in Medical Practice. Durham, NC: Duke University Press.
Muniesa, F., Y. Millo, and M. Callon, eds. 2007. Market Devices. Oxford: Blackwell.
Race, K. 2012. Frequent Sipping: Bottled Water, the Will to Health and the Subject of Hydration. Body and Society 18 (3–4): 72–98.
Shove, E., M. Pantzar, and M. Watson. 2012. The Dynamics of Social Practice. London: Sage.
Thévenot, L. 2002. Which Road to Follow? The Moral Complexity of an Equipped Humanity. In Complexities—The Social Studies of Knowledge Practices, ed. J. Law and A. Mol. Durham, NC: Duke University Press.
Woolgar, S., and D. Neyland. 2013. Mundane Governance—Ontology and Accountability. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2019 The Author(s)
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Hawkins, G. (2019). Mobile Drinking: Bottled Water Practices and Ontological Politics. In: Maller, C., Strengers, Y. (eds) Social Practices and Dynamic Non-Humans. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-92189-1_6
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-92189-1_6
Published:
Publisher Name: Palgrave Macmillan, Cham
Print ISBN: 978-3-319-92188-4
Online ISBN: 978-3-319-92189-1
eBook Packages: Social SciencesSocial Sciences (R0)