Domestic water cultures of Iranian migrant households living in the Sydney metropolitan region

The thesis aim is to explore everyday water practices of people who migrated from Iran to Australia through a project design that employed a mixed-qualitative method. The theoretical approach of the thesis brings into conversation the work of Elizabeth Shove and Sarah Pink. In doing so, the everyday water practices are conceived as relational, comprised through the intersection of competencies, ideas, materials and situated knowledge. The question guiding this thesis is: Following migration to Australia, how do the everyday water practices of migrants from the Islamic Republic of Iran persist, change or stop. Insights are offered from 15 Iranian-Australian people, who consented to participate in a project comprised of semi-structure interviews and home insights. The results are present across three chapters that investigate water-related practices of bathrooms, kitchens and laundries. Attention is drawn to the how socio-cultural practices of low cost piped tap-water supply that were integral to nation building in Iran since the 1950s alongside Islamic inflected ideas of cleanliness continue to shape practices in Australia of washing-up dishes, showering, toileting and washing clothes. The thesis underscores the importance of migrant diversity in socio-cultural research on household sustainability in Australia and other multi-cultural societies.