Embodiment in Hydropower Dams in the Mekong Basin

Abstract

The main argument of this article is that hydropower dams as external material objects have turned the Mekong River and its tributaries into the river full of techniques and sciences; the design of these hydropower dams excluded lived experiences and sentient bodies of the riverine people. Hydropower dams have transformed the notions of body, self, emotion and the lived bodies of people by forcing local people to live with dams and associated changes in the river ecological systems.  This research paper is based on a case study of Pak Mun Dam. It takes the concept of embodiment as a lens to understand physical bodies of people affected by the Pak Mun Dam, constructed 33 years ago. The author used in-depth interviews to collect data from 16 individuals purposively selected as key informants.  Key messages of the paper are that Pak Mun Dam and scanty ecologies of the Mun River have been constantly embedded in the daily lives of the riverine people. Lived bodies of those affected by the dam have been forced to become intimately acquainted with the dam itself. Diversely embodied experiences of affected people have been expressed through varying emotions, feelings and even body movements. These experiences include the language they used and their demonstration activities such as physically lying on the blasted rapid sites, seizing the construction materials during the construction of the Pak Mun Dam, occupying the dam site for a few years, and finally organizing the 99-day protest occupying sections of the road in front of the Government House in Bangkok. The paper proposes that embodiment should be regarded as a key issue in the design of social impact assessment policy.