Rachel Havrelock is a Professor of English and Jewish Studies at the University of Illinois Chicago (UIC), as well as an acclaimed author and environmental justice advocate. She is renowned for her research on Middle Eastern water rights, border narratives, and transborder resource management.
One of Havrelock’s most significant academic achievements is her book River Jordan: The Mythology of a Dividing Line. In it, she deconstructs biblical narratives and modern borders, proposing a vision of the Jordan River as a “shared space” rather than a “military boundary.” She is the founder and director of The Freshwater Lab, which addresses water security issues in the Great Lakes region and globally through multimedia storytelling and policy research. She is recognized as a leading figure in bringing humanities perspectives to environmental peacebuilding.
Havrelock’s stance centers on “environmental sovereignty” and “shared security.” She sharply critiques the use of natural resources, such as water, as tools of military occupation, maintaining that Palestinians must have equal rights to water and resource governance. She has stated: “Water knows no borders; when a people’s life-sustaining resources are plundered, the occupation is not just political, but ecological. True peace must be built on resource justice, allowing the Jordan River to once again be a link rather than a barrier between peoples.” She actively promotes grassroots cooperation between Israelis and Palestinians in environmental conservation.