Riding the wave of discomfort. A reflexive way to practice sociohydrology

The production of knowledge about water is historically intimately linked to societal issues,
connecting water sciences ontologically to society as recognized through the Panta Rhei
initiative on sociohydrology. As a result, water scientists generally aim to “talk” to society,
mostly in the field of public decision support. However, and in parallel, the water sciences have
progressively asserted themselves as scientific and academic disciplines, focusing on the
natural aspects of the large water cycle and animated by the desire to adopt the position of
axiological neutrality sustained by “modern” science. This inconsistency affects, we argue, the
dialogue between water sciences and society. When water scientists engage in such dialogue,
interdisciplinary by nature, they frequently express a worrying feeling of “discomfort”, like
being out of step with the different expectations and paradigms.
We carried out a reflexive study on the way in which the research/society dialogue on water is
conducted in Tunisia within an interdisciplinary research group, including hydrologists,
agronomists and social scientists. We noticed that there were often mismatches in the way that
i) researchers engage with their interlocutors (which interlocutors?), ii) they transmit knowledge
(what knowledge?) and iii) the interlocutors appropriate knowledge (what kind of
appropriation?). The dialogue between researchers from the different disciplines inevitably
brings to light the gaps and contradictions in the practices of science/society dialogue because
water sciences and social sciences entertain different relationships with society.
We argue that the interdisciplinary dialogue initiated in socio-hydrological research allows
researchers, both in water sciences and in social sciences, to reveal this discomfort but also to
build on this to enrich the dialogue with society and one-self. Deep and sincere reflexive work
can be carried out collectively on both causes and effects. Identifying, analyzing and sharing
the sources of discomfort allows what anthropologists refer to as "decentering". This shift in
focus should help changing the way the dialogue between water scientists and society is held.
This then leads to questioning the place of researchers within society and the functions science can handle in the social and political world.