by Sara Beth Keough (Author), Scott M. Youngstedt (Author)

Water, Life, and Profit offers a holistic analysis of the people, economies, cultural symbolism, and material culture involved in the management, production, distribution, and consumption of drinking water in the urban context of Niamey, Niger. Paying particular attention to two key groups of people who provide water to most of Niamey's residents - door-to-door water vendors, and those who sell water in one-half-liter plastic bags (sachets) on the street or in small shops - the authors offer new insights into how Niamey's water economies affect gender, ethnicity, class, and spatial structure today.

Author Biography

Scott M. Youngstedt is Professor of Anthropology at Saginaw Valley State University and President ex officio of the West African Research Association. He has been conducting ethnographic research in Niger over the past 30 years.