Assemblages in the Venetian Lagoon: Humans, water and multiple historical flows

Abstract

Since the dawn of its existence, and at times thanks to ambitious interventions, Venice and its lagoon have needed to be constantly protected from the various ways in which water has reclaimed its existence. This article asserts that the ways in which Venice approached the watery world imply a tendency to relate to the natural environment as if it was something humans ought to separate themselves from, rather than something towards which they could harmoniously relate. As a result of this mindset, the natural changes which made humans interventions necessary are most often phrased as events abruptly sprouted into being, and less as obvious consequences of pre-existing ecological alterations of the islands’ ecosystem throughout the centuries. In order to read these events differently, this article adopts assemblage theory as delineated in the work of Manuel DeLanda (2006], 2016), according to which history comprises a multiplicity of flows, each belonging to a specific social reality. As such, this article auspicates a way to read ecological alterations of the Venetian lagoon beyond the mere actions of humans and to see, instead, socio-natural changes as the result of intricate relations between heterogenous agents and forces.