My dissertation project ‘Fluid empires: Histories of Environment and Sovereignty in Southern Africa, 1750-1900’ asks how water has shaped the history of a region that is bordered by ocean, brimming with small rivers, and yet prone to drought. To answer this question, I trace transformations in the environment and politics of southeast Africa over the 18th and 19th centuries, exploring how African peoples lived with ephemeral waterscapes and how European colonization dealt with aridity. I also examine the expanding influence of the Indian Ocean, through which sailors, merchants, and colonists introduced new and often destructive forces and technologies into the region.