Abstract
Liquid Empire presents a compelling analysis of how colonialism was not only a land-based endeavour but also a hydrological one. Corey Ross argues that current problems related to climate change, drought and floods in the Global South are rooted in the liquid empires of colonial powers in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries.
The book highlights how control over water infrastructure was a fundamental mechanism of imperial power, shaping inegalitarian societies in being divided between those who designed the works and those who had to live with their consequences. Therefore, Ross masterfully demonstrates the clash between engineering thinking and indigenous local knowledge; the inadequacy of transferring technoscientific knowledge to totally different geographies and cultures; and the drive for exploitation rather than the development of colonies.
Ross offers a sharp, brilliantly written and beautifully illustrated historical critique of the political, social and environmental underpinnings of empire. He also establishes a relationship between the problems of today’s global water politics and the permanence of the ‘colonial mindset’ long after colonial rule ended, linking contemporary struggles over water justice to imperial legacies. Moreover, he highlights the utter disregard for the environment on the part of colonial authorities. However, there was no such thing as environmental management before the 1960s, therefore I believe that a more explicit analytic justification for the use of this idea would have been beneficial, as it is anachronistic. Nevertheless, Ross is entirely convincing in demonstrating that many of the current environmental problems result from colonial engineering projects on rivers, canals, swamps, coastlines, hydraulic systems, sewage systems and every part of the empire related to water.
Rivers became contested waterlines where indigenous hydrological knowledge was often dismissed in favour of rigid European-engineered systems. This technocratic approach, justified as a means of ‘mastering nature’, reinforced racial hierarchies and bolstered imperial ideologies of civilizational superiority. However, rather than bringing stability and prosperity, large-scale irrigation and flood-control projects frequently disrupted local economies, sociabilities and mobilities, and made entire regions dependent on precarious centralized systems. Irrigation projects, framed as symbols of European progress, further illustrate the limits of colonial engineering projects and thought. We are invited to see how engineers came up with solutions to cope with challenges as ambitious as transforming dry land into fertile land. In the Sahara, Roudaire’s ambitious plan to create a sea, which was never implemented, highlights the colonial dream to turn an uninhabited wilderness into a thriving agricultural hub.
Moreover, Ross highlights the will to manipulate nature in Egypt, India and South East Asia, where large-scale hydraulic interventions sought to override nature, turning seasonal water flows into predictable, year-round water systems. It is clear that the introduction of new machinery was not necessarily an advantage. Steamboats, surveys and hydrographic charts promised efficiency but ultimately remained at the mercy of monsoons, shifting sediments and local expertise.
The drive to impose rigid, ‘scientific’ water management often ignored or dismantled sophisticated indigenous systems that had balanced ecological realities for centuries. Science and technology were not merely instruments of conquest but also integral to the ideology of empire-building, justified through claims of mastering nature, reinforcing racial hierarchies and enhancing civilizational progress. European powers viewed their knowledge and expertise as a means to control environments that were deemed unruly. A significant challenge to this imperial mission was the existence of vast ‘wastelands’ – swamps, deserts and arid steppes – previously untouched by pre-colonial states. These landscapes became key targets for expansion as demographic pressures pushed settlers into remote and marginal regions.
Ross succeeds in demonstrating that large-scale water management projects reflected not only the ambitions of empire but also the enduring tensions between technology, nature and society. Hydraulic projects played a crucial role in this transformation, with colonial engineers reshaping river deltas in South East Asia, at the edges of the Sahara and in the drylands of north-western India into productive zones. While irrigation projects were central to expanding agriculture and state authority, colonial hydrological interventions also focused on keeping water out of areas that were deemed economically or politically valuable. These interventions, framed as efforts to enhance security and prosperity, often deepened social disparities and demonstrated the limits of imperial control over unpredictable hydrological forces. For example, despite technological advancements, the unpredictable rivers of Bengal and Orissa resisted control, and flood management remained a source of conflict rather than security. Similarly, in colonial Indo-China, flood-control efforts were not just about innovation but also about the persistence of existing technologies and institutions.
The book also explores how water governance extended beyond irrigation, encompassing urban sanitation, fisheries and hydroelectricity. Colonial sanitation projects in cities like Bombay and Calcutta, while framed as public health initiatives, reinforced social hierarchies, disproportionately benefiting European enclaves while neglecting indigenous populations. Hydropower projects, celebrated as symbols of modernity, served elite commercial interests while displacing communities and damaging ecosystems. Ross effectively demonstrates that these efforts, while technologically ambitious, often deepened rather than alleviated socio-economic disparities.
The epilogue highlights how post-colonial states, rather than dismantling colonial hydrological frameworks, intensified their reliance on large-scale water control. Rising populations, food security concerns and development ambitions drove ex-colonies to expand hydraulic infrastructure, perpetuating the top-down governance models inherited from empire. Ross argues that the persistence of these colonial-era systems is not merely an engineering legacy but also a sociopolitical one, embedding colonial assumptions of scientific superiority and centralized control in contemporary water policies.
Ultimately, Liquid Empire does not simply diagnose the historical roots of water injustices; it interrogates the present and suggests ways forward. Ross critiques the prevailing technocratic approach that prioritizes infrastructure over equity, leading to environmental degradation, displacement and the erosion of traditional water knowledge. Instead, the book advocates for policies that integrate indigenous hydrological practices, emphasize ecological restoration, and bridge the gap between decision-makers and affected communities. By reframing water governance beyond imperial paradigms, Ross urges a reconsideration of our relationship with the hydrosphere, arguing that true resilience lies in sustainable, community-driven approaches rather than the relentless expansion of control. This incisive work is essential reading for those seeking to understand the enduring environmental and political consequences of empire.
