Dr. Johanna Höhl

Biography and Research

I have an interdisciplinary background in Latin American studies and history. I have worked in academia and scientific management in Germany and Chile.  I have a deep interest in understanding the ways decisions about natural resources are shaped by multilevel interactions and local dynamics. My research focuses on water governance and energy transitions, with an emphasis on the sociopolitical and cultural dimensions of resource management in Latin America.

In my work I examine how access to and use of water are negotiated in Indigenous territories, particularly in southern Chile, and how (Indigenous) knowledge informs these processes. I also investigate the multiscalar interactions among actors involved in energy transitions, analyzing how global and local frameworks converge to shape spaces through governance practices.

Central to my research is the understanding that governance processes are not merely technical but are embedded in broader political, economic, and cultural contexts. I am particularly interested in how competing notions of sustainability and resource use are constructed, mobilized, and contested across different scales, and how these frameworks influence local practices and interactions with the environment.