Amir Khorasani Ejbarkolaei

This research merges ethnographic fieldwork and historical investigation to examine the complex interplay between water, labor, and oil products in Mahshahr, a port companytown along the Persian Gulf in southwestern Iran. It primarily focuses on the disconnectionof aquatic spaces from urban life that transpired as Mahshahr transitioned into a petrochemical hub during the 1990s. This transformation attracted a significant influx of workers who played a pivotal role in constructing petrochemical plants. The study explores how this new labor force initially yearned to be part of the flourishing petrochemical industry and appeared unconcerned about the severance from aquatic spaces. However, their perspective underwent a considerable shift around the 2010s, following widespread layoffs as the operation phase commenced. This change in focus prompted them to prioritize their right to water access over their right to industrial reintegration, subsequently reshaping their values and meanings. Moreover, the research examines these findings through the lens of the intertwined histories of water and oil since the 1920s in the neighboring city of Abadan, which became home to the world’s largest oil refinery in 1912. By delving into how the oil industry has transformed water access and water flows since its inception in the 1920s, this diachronic approach helps to elucidate the interconnected narratives of labor, war, and oil in a geography that encompasses the first oil field, refinery, and oil port in the Middle East.