University of South Florida Scholar Commons Graduate Theses and Dissertations Graduate School July 2020 An Ethnography of WaSH Infrastructures and Governance in Sulphur Springs, Florida Mathews Jackon Wakhungu University of South Florida Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarcommons.usf.edu/etd Part of the Environmental Sciences Commons, and the Other Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons Scholar Commons Citation Wakhungu, Mathews Jackon, "An Ethnography of WaSH Infrastructures and Governance in Sulphur Springs, Florida" (2020). Graduate Theses and Dissertations. https://scholarcommons.usf.edu/etd/8493 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Graduate School at Scholar Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion in Graduate Theses and Dissertations by an authorized administrator of Scholar Commons. For more information, please contact [email protected]. An Ethnography of WaSH Infrastructures and Governance in Sulphur Springs, Florida by Mathews Jackson Wakhungu A dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Applied Anthropology with a concentration in cultural anthropology Department of Anthropology College of Arts and Sciences University of South Florida Major Professor: E. Christian Wells, Ph.D. Antoinette T. Jackson, Ph.D. Rebecca K. Zarger, Ph.D. Qiong Zhang, Ph.D. Anand Kumar, Ph.D. Date of Approval: July 2, 2020 Keywords: water, sanitation, hygiene, infrastructural violence, structural violence, environmental justice Copyright © 2020, Mathews Jackson Wakhungu Dedication I dedicate this dissertation to my wife Doreen Ikhuva, my son Ryan and my parents (Fred Wakhungu and Violent Nanyama), who have given me the love, support, and strength necessary to accomplish this significant dream. I love you all. This project is also in loving memory of the late father-in-law Mr. Hudson Lugano, who will forever remain in our hearts. Acknowledgments I take this chance to acknowledge and appreciate my advisor Dr. E. Christian Wells, for his endless support and guidance, without which this dissertation would not have been completed. I also wish to acknowledge the advice and unwavering support of my committee members, Dr. Rebecca K. Zarger, Dr. Antoinette T. Jackson, Dr. Qiong Zhang, and Dr. Anand Kumar, for making this study a success. A heartfelt thank you goes to my family and friends for their encouragement and initial financial support that kickstarted my doctoral journey. I gratefully acknowledge my colleague Alex Webb for his constructive contributions towards this study. Finally, I wish to thank all stakeholders who participated in this project. The research conducted for this dissertation was made possible with support from the National Science Foundation's Critical Resilient Interdependent Infrastructure Systems and Processes (NSF CRISP) program, Grant No. 1638301) to the University of South Florida's CRISP Project. All stakeholder participation in this research was exempted by the University of South Florida's Institutional Review Board (IRB). Table of Contents List of Tables ................................................................................................................................. iii List of Figures ................................................................................................................................ iv Abstract .......................................................................................................................................... vi Chapter One: Introduction .............................................................................................................. 1 Towards an Anthropology of User Experience .................................................................. 4 Purpose and Goals............................................................................................................... 5 Motivations ......................................................................................................................... 8 Organization of the Dissertation ......................................................................................... 9 Chapter Two: Anthropology of Infrastructures and Infrastructure Violence ............................... 11 Anthropology of Infrastructures ....................................................................................... 11 Governmentality ............................................................................................................... 14 Structural Violence ........................................................................................................... 18 Environmental Justice ....................................................................................................... 23 Conceptualizing Infrastructural Violence ......................................................................... 28 Theoretical Lacunae .......................................................................................................... 29 Chapter Three: Study Site ............................................................................................................. 32 Demographics ................................................................................................................... 33 Housing and Gentrification ............................................................................................... 35 Sulphur Springs Today ..................................................................................................... 36 WaSH in Sulphur Springs ................................................................................................. 39 Chapter Four: Methods ................................................................................................................. 45 Ethnographic Entry ........................................................................................................... 45 Participant Observation ..................................................................................................... 49 Interviews, Freelists and Oral History .............................................................................. 50 Mixed-Mode Survey ......................................................................................................... 55 Reflexivity and Ethical Considerations ............................................................................ 56 Chapter Five: The Social Construction of WaSH Insecurity and Inequities ................................ 58 Racial Segregation, the Interstate, and Closure of Businesses ......................................... 59 Becoming a Low-Income and Transient Neighborhood. .................................................. 64 Changing Housing Landscape and Gentrification ............................................................ 69 WaSH Discourse and Service Provision ........................................................................... 74 i Chapter Six: Water ........................................................................................................................ 86 The Spectrum of Water Needs .......................................................................................... 88 Information, Trust and The Lemming Effect .................................................................... 98 Chapter Seven: Sewer ................................................................................................................. 103 Old pipes, Trees, and Improper Uses, Poor Maintenance............................................... 109 Inadequate Maintenance and Self-Eviction .................................................................... 111 Accountability Strategies ................................................................................................ 117 Chapter Eight: Drainage ............................................................................................................. 122 Flood Vulnerability Assessment ..................................................................................... 124 Solid Waste and Illegal Dumping ................................................................................... 133 Chapter Seven: The Big Wash Laundromat ............................................................................... 138 Convenience and “Doing More for Less” ....................................................................... 138 Social Relations and Heritage ......................................................................................... 144 Playing Russian Roulette with Machines ....................................................................... 148 Vandalism and Insecurity ............................................................................................... 156 Gender, Social Class and a Disposable Group ................................................................ 160 The Rebirth of the Big Wash. ......................................................................................... 165 Chapter Ten: Discussion and Conclusions ................................................................................. 167 Research question #1: How do people’s interactions with water, sanitation, and hygiene (WaSH) services and governance inform their social and behavioral perceptions in Sulphur Springs? ............................................................................... 169 Research Question #2: How are these social and behavioral perceptions on water,