Water conflicts open windows of opportunity for grassroots movements to transform water systems. However, academic fields studying social movements in socio-environmental conflicts are not well equipped to deal with complexity, non-linear dynamics, and emergent properties. Therefore, these fields rarely engage with long-term complex social processes and dynamics leading to systemic socio-technical changes. Researching water conflicts driven by grassroots movements, we ask whether and how the latter can influence a socio-technical transition of a water management regime. Through an emblematic water conflict in Mexico, we analyse the grassroots movement's trajectory since the conflict´s inception by following the dynamic process of developing agency. Our findings show that throughout the conflict, the grassroots movement accumulated and mobilized diverse capitals to initiate water management strategies and practices that catalysed change in the water management regime by stalling the implementation of large infrastructures. Eventually, this led to the inception of a sustainable and just transition.

中文翻译：

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水冲突中的草根运动能否推动水管理系统的社会技术转型？

水冲突为草根运动改造供水系统打开了机会之窗。然而，研究社会环境冲突中的社会运动的学术领域并没有很好的能力来处理复杂性、非线性动态和突发特性。因此，这些领域很少参与导致系统性社会技术变革的长期复杂社会过程和动态。通过研究草根运动引发的水冲突，我们询问草根运动是否以及如何影响水管理制度的社会技术转型。通过墨西哥的一次标志性水冲突，我们通过跟踪发展机构的动态过程来分析冲突爆发以来草根运动的轨迹。我们的研究结果表明，在整个冲突期间，草根运动积累并动员了不同的资本来启动水管理战略和实践，通过拖延大型基础设施的实施来促进水管理制度的变革。最终，这导致了可持续和公正过渡的开始。