This article, based on intermittent anthropological fieldwork between 1978 and 2001, focuses on a Syrian waterscape through the establishment, expansion and contraction of the country’s largest irrigation and land reclamation project in the Euphrates valley. It briefly describes regional agricultural history before discussing the different positions of three regional categories — employees in the project, Raqqa townspeople and inhabitants in a village — in this waterscape. The irrigation project was undoubtedly set in motion to increase the influence of the state and the ruling party. But, as discussed, this process has not been at all straightforward. The article points to the importance of studying water, land and politics, not only from above, on the part of the state, but also from below on the part of regional inhabitants.

中文翻译：

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拉卡省的水、土地和政治。当代案例研究

本文基于 1978 年至 2001 年间断断续续的人类学田野调查，通过在幼发拉底河谷建立、扩大和收缩该国最大的灌溉和土地复垦项目，重点关注叙利亚的水景。在讨论三个区域类别——项目员工、拉卡镇居民和村庄居民——在这个水景中的不同位置之前，它简要描述了区域农业历史。灌溉工程的启动无疑是为了增加国家和执政党的影响力。但是，正如所讨论的，这个过程并不简单。文章指出了研究水、土地和政治的重要性，不仅在国家方面从上而下，而且在地区居民方面也从下往上。