Riding the wave of discomfort. A reflexive way to practice sociohydrology 

<p>The production of knowledge about water is historically intimately linked to societal issues,<br>connecting water sciences ontologically to society as recognized through the Panta Rhei<br>initiative on sociohydrology. As a result, water scientists generally aim to &#8220;talk&#8221; to society,<br>mostly in the field of public decision support. However, and in parallel, the water sciences have<br>progressively asserted themselves as scientific and academic disciplines, focusing on the<br>natural aspects of the large water cycle and animated by the desire to adopt the position of<br>axiological neutrality sustained by &#8220;modern&#8221; science. This inconsistency affects, we argue, the<br>dialogue between water sciences and society. When water scientists engage in such dialogue,<br>interdisciplinary by nature, they frequently express a worrying feeling of &#8220;discomfort&#8221;, like<br>being out of step with the different expectations and paradigms.<br>We carried out a reflexive study on the way in which the research/society dialogue on water is<br>conducted in Tunisia within an interdisciplinary research group, including hydrologists,<br>agronomists and social scientists. We noticed that there were often mismatches in the way that<br>i) researchers engage with their interlocutors (which interlocutors?), ii) they transmit knowledge<br>(what knowledge?) and iii) the interlocutors appropriate knowledge (what kind of<br>appropriation?). The dialogue between researchers from the different disciplines inevitably<br>brings to light the gaps and contradictions in the practices of science/society dialogue because<br>water sciences and social sciences entertain different relationships with society.<br>We argue that the interdisciplinary dialogue initiated in socio-hydrological research allows<br>researchers, both in water sciences and in social sciences, to reveal this discomfort but also to<br>build on this to enrich the dialogue with society and one-self. Deep and sincere reflexive work<br>can be carried out collectively on both causes and effects. Identifying, analyzing and sharing<br>the sources of discomfort allows what anthropologists refer to as "decentering". This shift in<br>focus should help changing the way the dialogue between water scientists and society is held.<br>This then leads to questioning the place of researchers within society and the functions science can handle in the social and political world.</p>