Virtuous Waters: The Culture and History of Bathing and Mineral Springs in Mexico - Dr. Casey Walsh
Virtuous Waters: The Culture and History of Bathing and Mineral Springs in Mexico with guest speaker Dr. Casey Walsh
Dr. Casey Walsh is the author of Virtuous Waters: Mineral Springs, Bathing, and Infrastructure in Mexico, a study that examines the history and social impact of human interactions with water. His research argues against treating water as a uniform commodity, instead focusing on "heterogeneous waters"—the different types of mineral and thermal waters that have shaped health practices and societies for centuries. Using ethnographic and historical data, Dr. Walsh explains how bathing and drinking are tied to specific water cultures and local environments.
He is a Professor of Anthropology at the University of California, Santa Barbara, and served as the Department Chair from 2018 to 2023. His work focuses on the political economy of water, land, and labor, particularly in the border regions of Mexico and the United States. He earned his PhD from the New School for Social Research and has held positions as a Fulbright Scholar and a Fellow at the Freiburg Institute for Advanced Studies. He combines historical research with field studies to understand how mineral springs are managed and used over time. His research aims to address modern water challenges by looking at the value of local water sources and community management. An editor for the Journal of Political Ecology, he has presented his research at Harvard University, the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, and the University of Notre Dame.
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