Dr. Maura Hanrahan, Department of Geography & Environment
The study of water brings you into understandings of culture, history, mental health, economics, government policy, power relationships, nutrition, land management, and so many other things. Water and water management are linked to every aspect of our individual and collective lives.

What sparked your interest in water research?

Most of my career has been in land claims research and litigation for Indigenous nations and governments. One of the Inuit communities I visited during this work had no water and sewage system. So water had to be fetched from shallow community wells and rivers that were far away, as the people had been relocated to this community by government in the 1960s, despite the lack of potable water. I really took to the community and ended up living there for a while, working for them on water improvements over many years. I led a research team that included, at times, a physician, engineers, undergraduate and graduate students, and faculty from various disciplines. We gave the community ammunition in their struggle for water rights; we wanted material outcomes to improve people's quality of life. We were the first to try rainwater harvesting in the north. The community was able to get a potable water dispensing unit (PWDU), and now there are plans for artesian wells this summer. All of this happened piecemeal because there is no water security program in Canada, and Indigenous communities, in particular, have suffered because of this. This was a deep case study that I did, and it led to other water security research.

What excites you about your research?

I love learning about the many dimensions of water insecurity. For instance, I've learned that water security has to be viewed through a gender lens; women and men experience it differently in places as far from each other as Labrador and Ghana. In sub-Saharan Africa, women have to worry about the potential for sexual assault when they are retrieving water. In the Arctic and subarctic, men fetch water and, increasingly due to climate change, they have to worry about polar bear attacks. Water security also has to be viewed through a disability lens; people with disabilities who live in water insecure places suffer extreme water insecurity, worsening their mental and physical health and further marginalizing them. This is intensifying as neoliberalism advances throughout the world and water is commodified.

The study of water brings you into understandings of culture, history, mental health, economics, government policy, power relationships, nutrition, land management, and so many other things. Water and water management are linked to every aspect of our individual and collective lives.

Tell us about the first time you felt really excited about a research finding?

I think that 'motivated' is a better word than excited. I saw close-up that people in this Inuit community had to decide between heating their homes in winter or having enough water. I was in freezing houses; I saw the last glass of water in another house. Water immediately became a symbol of human suffering, which felt so wrong to me.

It was crystal clear to me that water policy in this country is a manifestation of racism, that water insecurity is part of ongoing colonial processes, and that assumed water security reflects white privilege. In Canada, not having enough water for health, cleaning and cooking has real impacts on Indigenous bodies, minds, and spirits.

What do you hope to accomplish through your scientific research?

I've always been interested in doing research that leads to material outcomes; doing research from an Indigenous perspective, community goals are central. I like that I've been able to bring previously hidden stories of environmental injustice into the light through articles in Water, the British Journal for Canadian Studies, Polar Geography, and elsewhere, and to look at these injustices in a 360 way. I like being able to help communities struggling for their rights and the rights of the land and water. Water security was recognized as a human right by the United Nations in 2010, but Canada and other countries have not always acted on this. I'm glad that, like other researchers, I've been able to highlight the gaps in water policy so they are visible and can be targeted for change.

Why is your research important? What are the local, national and global implications?

My late father taught me Mi'Kmaw ethics, including using my education to respond to community needs and contribute to justice. I love nature, and I was always drawn to environmental justice and environmental racism. I've  been able to help bring ongoing examples of environmental injustice, including water insecurity, to national arenas such as the Supreme Court of Canada and to international journals, some of which I've listed. I have been able to frame water as a gender issue and reach international audiences about how water insecurity manifests colonial racism in this country. Working with others, I've been able to bring attention to the far-reaching real-life effects of water insecurity for Indigenous communities in Canada and Africa, for men and women, and for people with disabilities.

What words of inspiration would you like to share with the next generation of researchers?

Do what you love and keep it your focus; don't think about the career aspect of it—that will work out.

I would like to say to young Indigenous researchers that, in addition to Indigenous methods, we can use western techniques and even methodologies to advance community needs. When we combine these, our research process and results will be all the richer.

Recognize that the pressure to overwork in academic culture is counter-productive. Remember self-care.