journal article
Dec 20, 2025
Rethinking the Teesta River Dispute: A Social Constructivist Approach to Transboundary Water Cooperation
Abstract
ABSTRACT
Transboundary rivers are central to the geopolitics of South Asia, where competing national interests, fragile ecological systems, and unresolved historical grievances intersect. The Teesta River, shared by India and Bangladesh, exemplifies the persistent deadlock that can arise when conventional technical and institutional approaches overlook deeper symbolic and identity‐driven dimensions. Existing analyses often foreground power asymmetries, hydrological allocation, and institutional design, yet they leave underexplored the socio‐political narratives that shape state behavior and obstruct durable agreements. Addressing this gap, this study adopts a social constructivist framework to examine how national identities, historical memories, and competing narratives influence the negotiation impasse over the Teesta. Drawing on extensive secondary sources, the research interrogates how the river is framed in political discourse and embedded within collective imaginaries of sovereignty, justice, and belonging. By highlighting the limitations of narrowly technical solutions, the study argues that meaningful cooperation requires recognizing the river's symbolic significance and integrating narrative reconciliation and mutual recognition into future diplomatic strategies. The paper contributes to the transboundary water governance literature by demonstrating how constructivist insights can expand policy dialogues, suggesting that durable river‐sharing arrangements depend as much on trust and shared meaning as on hydrological and economic factors.
Transboundary rivers are central to the geopolitics of South Asia, where competing national interests, fragile ecological systems, and unresolved historical grievances intersect. The Teesta River, shared by India and Bangladesh, exemplifies the persistent deadlock that can arise when conventional technical and institutional approaches overlook deeper symbolic and identity‐driven dimensions. Existing analyses often foreground power asymmetries, hydrological allocation, and institutional design, yet they leave underexplored the socio‐political narratives that shape state behavior and obstruct durable agreements. Addressing this gap, this study adopts a social constructivist framework to examine how national identities, historical memories, and competing narratives influence the negotiation impasse over the Teesta. Drawing on extensive secondary sources, the research interrogates how the river is framed in political discourse and embedded within collective imaginaries of sovereignty, justice, and belonging. By highlighting the limitations of narrowly technical solutions, the study argues that meaningful cooperation requires recognizing the river's symbolic significance and integrating narrative reconciliation and mutual recognition into future diplomatic strategies. The paper contributes to the transboundary water governance literature by demonstrating how constructivist insights can expand policy dialogues, suggesting that durable river‐sharing arrangements depend as much on trust and shared meaning as on hydrological and economic factors.
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References
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- Published
- Dec 20, 2025
- Vol/Issue
- 12(1)
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Cite This Article
Kajol Gupta (2025). Rethinking the Teesta River Dispute: A Social Constructivist Approach to Transboundary Water Cooperation. World Water Policy, 12(1). https://doi.org/10.1002/wwp2.70046
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