Tracing (un)common senses in irrigation communities: Hegemonies and counter-hegemonies across Spain's Tagus-Segura interbasin transfer complex.

This article examines the hegemonic projects underpinning Spain's hydraulic infrastructure, specifically the Tagus-Segura Interbasin Water Transfer (TSA), and the widespread adoption of drip irrigation, situating them within a hydrosocial territorial framework. It argues that these projects, justified by dominant common senses—such as correcting a national hydrological imbalance and promoting water efficiency—produce distinct interconnected territories characterized as hegemonic core, hegemonic frontier, and counterhegemonic, each experiencing and responding to these projects differently. The hegemonic core territories, mainly in the Segura basin, largely accept and reinforce these common senses, while frontier territories in the Tagus basin exhibit tensions and emerging new hegemonies, and counterhegemonic territories resist dominant narratives by valuing traditional irrigation practices and multidimensional water values. The study highlights how these hegemonies and counterhegemonies shape water governance, rural development, and social relations, emphasizing the role of state and non-state actors in producing consent and resistance within Spain's irrigation landscapes.