What Sewers Say About Power, Democracy, and the Paths We Can’t Escape
When we think about city infrastructure, we usually think of roads, bridges, or maybe even transit lines. Rarely do we pause to think about what lies beneath us—sewer systems. Yet, these silent, unseen networks don’t just carry waste. They carry the weight of history, ideology, and power.
In my research, I explore how sewerage systems are more than just technical solutions—they’re “epistemic technologies.” That means they shape and reflect how we understand the world. They tell us what is normal, what is necessary, and, crucially, what is possible.
The Modern Mindset—and Its Limits
Drawing on philosopher Michel Foucault’s idea of the “Modern episteme,” I argue that sewer systems are a product of a mindset that values rationality, control, and invisibility. We come to believe that certain technologies—like centralized sewers—are natural and inevitable. But this belief hides the fact that alternatives have always existed and still do.
This mindset also sidelines democratic input. Historian Christopher Hamlin once said that while sanitation was promoted as a democratizing force, its implementation was often anything but democratic. Politicians and planners viewed sanitation technologies as beyond public debate. Today, the same logic still haunts how infrastructure decisions are made.
Why We’re Stuck With Old Systems: The Trap of Path Dependence
A core concept in my research is path dependence—the idea that past decisions limit our present choices. Once a city builds a certain kind of infrastructure, replacing it becomes nearly impossible, no matter how outdated or inefficient it may be. The costs—economic, political, and psychological—are just too high.
This dynamic is reinforced by our economic beliefs. Neo-classical economics, with its faith in markets and “efficient outcomes,” hides the fact that capitalism itself is deeply path dependent. It recycles the same solutions over and over, making it hard to imagine a different future.
Africville: The System’s Silent Antithesis
Nowhere is this clearer than in the story of Africville, a Black community in Halifax, Nova Scotia, denied basic sanitation services for generations and ultimately displaced. Africville wasn’t just neglected—it was actively excluded by a system designed to benefit some while marginalizing others.
Similarly, the Halifax Harbour Cleanup Initiative (HHCI) was shaped by long-standing policy networks that limited public input and protected entrenched interests. These “iron triangles” of politics, bureaucracy, and business reflect the same Modern episteme: centralized, expert-driven, and closed off to change.
Seeing the Invisible—and Choosing Differently
One of the biggest problems with these infrastructures—physical and ideological—is that they’re invisible. Like the sewers themselves, they quietly shape our lives without notice. But by making these hidden systems visible, we gain the power to question them.
What if infrastructure were built for adaptability, sustainability, and equity? What if policymaking wasn’t trapped in precedent and elite networks, but opened up to diverse voices?
We can’t undo history. But by studying the paths we’ve taken—especially the ones that led to exclusion and environmental harm—we can better understand how to build new ones.
