Author ORCID Identifier
Emily McKee: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5494-4873
Document Type
Article
Publication Title
Journal of the Royal Anthropological Institute
Abstract
This article interprets the meanings and motivations of refusal to pay water bills within a context of fragmented sovereignty. Residents of a village in the occupied Palestinian West Bank call for solutions to water shortages and failed infrastructure, but do so amidst capricious power, where would-be sovereigns evade accountability. Lacking avenues for direct engagement with authorities, residents speak in generalized ethical terms of their legitimate water claims, and they resort to bill refusal. Setting villagers’ bill refusals within the broader set of interactions between would-be sovereigns and subjects, this article contributes to anthropological scholarship on refusal by demonstrating how it can be a way of not only dismantling state power, but also summoning a responsible sovereign. Furthermore, it highlights how common dilemmas faced by refusers – dismissal and co-optation – can be exacerbated by the same evasive accountability against which they protest.
First Page
546
Last Page
565
DOI
10.1111/1467-9655.13082
Publication Date
9-1-2019
Recommended Citation
McKee, Emily, "Water, power, and refusal: confronting evasive accountability in a Palestinian village" (2019). Faculty Peer-Reviewed Publications. 1221.
https://huskiecommons.lib.niu.edu/allfaculty-peerpub/1221
Department
Department of Anthropology
ISSN
13590987
Comments
This is the peer reviewed version of the following article: 2019. “Water, Power, and Refusal: Confronting Evasive Accountability in a Palestinian Village.” Journal of the Royal Anthropological Institute 25 (3): 546–65, which has been published in final form at https://doi.org/10.1111/1467-9655.13082. This article may be used for non-commercial purposes in accordance with Wiley Terms and Conditions for Use of Self-Archived Versions. This article may not be enhanced, enriched or otherwise transformed into a derivative work, without express permission from Wiley or by statutory rights under applicable legislation. Copyright notices must not be removed, obscured or modified. The article must be linked to Wiley’s version of record on Wiley Online Library and any embedding, framing or otherwise making available the article or pages thereof by third parties from platforms, services and websites other than Wiley Online Library must be prohibited.