ERNEST FEDERICO RIVA

PhD Student

PhD program:: XLI
email: ernestfederico.riva@uniroma1.it





Research: Water, actors, territory. Water resource control and socio-spatial conflict in southern Tunisia

I am an eclectic researcher whose work weaves together fieldwork, activism, and visual practices. My focus lies on socio-spatial justice, with particular attention to contexts of marginalization. My work explores forms of territorial control, collective resource management — with a specific emphasis on water — and the capacity of local communities to generate alternative forms of organization amid marginalization, climate crisis, and colonial dynamics. My approach is interdisciplinary: it combines participant observation, visual methodologies, and attention to oral history to analyze the complexities of territories and the communities that inhabit them. This method allows me to amplify the voices of those who directly experience the challenges of marginalization, placing their lived experiences and perspectives at the center. The goal is to contribute to a critical understanding of the relationships between space, power, and resistance — inspiring processes of social change.

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