Abstract:
This thesis looks at the various impacts that the process of modernisation has on countries, with particular attention to the social impacts of hydropower activity. The social impact is addressed by two questions, namely ‘how people do things’ and ‘who they are’? These questions were investigated through both quantitative and qualitative methods of research in the form of surveys and interviews, respectively. Combining the empirical data with an extensive overview of current scientific literature, this thesis concludes the following: that hydropower activity does indeed not only have a severe impact on the environment, but also on economic development and especially on social structures of surrounding communities. These communities become subject to a wide range of social impacts, such as dispossession and loss of land, discrimination, cultural alienation, and mental and physical health issues. It is argued therefore that, while hydropower is still presented as a ‘green’ and ‘clean’ energy source, it needs a serious re-examination of its impact on the world; a serious re-examinationu of the profound willingness to adopt hydropower plants without considering the short – but especially long-term implications and consequences.
