Water has multiple values across and within cultures—transforming it from basic substance to a vehicle of cultural identity. Water scarcity can be imposed by hydrological or by social exclusion; each reinforces the other. Yet, even under scarcity, hierarchies are not immutable. People use myriad tools to increase their share of water, including, at times, the expenditure of more water. In water‐scarce informal settlements and tenements in Delhi, India, people's conspicuous use of water not only increases their social status and economic power but also generates additional access to water. This article argues that broader transformations of urban Indian culture, such as its increased commitment to middle classness, are demonstrated through the conspicuous consumption of water as a form of economic agency. Economic anthropology's theories of consumption are valuable frameworks to challenge the way water expenditures are modeled and hierarchies are upheld.

中文翻译：

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显着的储备：用水的思想和阶级的表现

水在文化中和文化中具有多重价值，将其从基本物质转变为文化认同的载体。缺水可能是由于水文问题或社会排斥造成的；彼此增强。但是，即使在稀缺的情况下，层次结构也不是一成不变的。人们使用各种工具来增加水的份额，有时包括增加水的消耗。在印度德里缺水的非正式定居点和物业单位中，人们对水的显着使用不仅提高了他们的社会地位和经济实力，而且还带来了更多的水供应渠道。本文认为，通过显着地消耗水作为一种经济手段，可以证明印度城市文化的更广泛转变，例如对中产阶级的坚定承诺。经济人类学