Jonatan Godinez Madrigal wins thesis prize for interdisciplinary research from the Royal Holland Society of Sciences and Humanities
On July 6 2023, Jonatan Godinez Madrigal will be awarded the prize for the best interdisciplinary PhD thesis in the Netherlands by the Royal Holland Society of Sciences and Humanities (KHMW). This achievement holds even greater significance as it marks the inaugural presentation of this esteemed prize.
Godinez Madrigal’s Doctoral research (awarded in 2022), focused on a water conflict in Mexico. He began studying the conflict over the El Zapotillo project in 2015. For over 16 years, this project has been a cause of tension within the Mexican state of Jalisco. The construction of a dam within the Verde River basin aimed to address water supply challenges in two prominent cities. However, the project also posed a threat to three villages, placing the homes and ancestral lands of their residents at risk of flooding.
The construction of the dam led to a conflict that had long been considered intractable. Despite its importance, it had not been studied comprehensively. By collaborating with the communities and proposing workable alternative solutions for both the water supply of the cities and the security of the villages, Godinez Madrigal facilitated a breakthrough for the parties involved.
“This prize is a recognition of the unwavering grit of the Mexican communities of Temacapulín, Acasico and Palmarejo to resist overwhelming oppression and imposition of the State,” said Godinez Madrigal, researcher at IHE Delft.
“The tenacity of the affected communities has transcended space and time to become a beacon of hope for many other communities around the world fighting for justice and sustainability”, he said.
Out of 76 submissions, Godinez Madrigal’s thesis titled "Paradigm lost - on the value of lost causes in transforming cities and water systems’ development pathways”, was unanimously chosen by the jury.
Highlighting the interdisciplinarity of Godinez Madrigal’s thesis, the jury opined, "Jonatan succeeds in bridging the dichotomy between the objective, technical, and the more subjective social political expertise needed to understand the problem. By combining longitudinal, inter- and transdisciplinary approaches he was able to simultaneously investigate the historic-social and the biophysical dimension of the water conflict."
“I am very honoured that my research was awarded this prize, but above all I’m very humbled since this was teamwork. My promotor Pieter van der Zaag, and supervisor, Nora Van Cauwenbergh, were fundamental in achieving this,” he said.
Godinez Madrigal further acknowledged that their guidance, unwavering support, and belief in his work had transformed this accomplishment into a shared success. He highlighted the great potential of IHE Delft's capacity in conducting interdisciplinary scientific research to promote sustainability and justice in the water sector.
Pieter van der Zaag, Professor of Water Management at IHE Delft and Jonatan's promotor, said: "This research's interdisciplinary approach demonstrates how a social scientist can critically examine the monodisciplinary perspectives of water experts, resulting in the formulation of entirely new development scenarios that can be evaluated by the affected citizens. This convincingly emphasizes the interdisciplinary nature of the research, which has had a tangible societal impact."
Jonatan Godinez Madrigal
Researcher Water Allocation and Institutions