Water : nature and culture

Select an Action

Title:

Water : nature and culture

Author:

Strang, Veronica, author.

ISBN:

9781780234328

Personal Author:

Strang, Veronica, author.

Physical Description:

208 pages : illustrations (some colour) ; 21 cm.

Series:

Earth series

Earth series (Reaktion Books (Firm))

General Note:

Source of cataloging data: WCP

Abstract:

Veronica Strang's Water digs into the rich history of human interaction with water, and is the first of its kind to give a comprehensive cultural view of water and history as well as taking in social and ecological issues. It will appeal to all of those interested in the environment and the state of the world today.

Contents:

Introduction -- Water on earth -- Living water -- Imaginary water -- Water journeys -- Redirections -- The power of industry -- Engineering utopia -- Water pressures -- Conclusion.

Subject Term:

Water and civilization.

Water.

Available:*

Library	Material Type	Call Number	Status	Item Holds
Searching... Aurora Downtown	Book	GB671 .S77 2015	Searching... Unknown	Searching... Unavailable

Bound With These Titles

On Order

Summary

As any scientist will tell you, there is no substance more vital than water. Our history is necessarily a history with water, whether we have irrigated our fields with it, cooled our machines, washed ourselves, drank it down deeply, or even worshipped it. In Water , Veronic Strang ladles through the rich history of our interaction with water, offering an accessible examination of the crucial properties that make water so unique alongside the complex story of our evolving relationship with it.

As Strang shows, our attitudes about water and the things that we rely on it for have changed dramatically over time. Once a mystical source of regenerative powers, it has since played various roles as our attitudes about hygiene, health, and disease have developed; as it has become useful to our industry; as agriculture has become ever more complex; and, of course, as we have learned to make money from it. Today water--who controls it, and how--is one of the largest issues facing our society, influencing everything from the welfare of the billions of people living on earth to the vitality of its natural habitats. Balancing history, science, and environmental and cultural studies, Strang offers an important, multi-faceted view of a critical resource.

Reviews (1)

Choice Review

Strang (social anthropology, Univ. of Auckland, New Zealand) starts by stating that this will be "an account that skips across the story like a pebble, landing only fleetingly on its surface." She is not kidding! The surface-scratching in chapter 1 immediately reveals the need for more depth: Darwin is an expert on the chemical origin of life (not true), blood has more dissolved fluids than any other substance (what does that even mean?), and, presented without judgment, Lovelock's discredited notion that the Earth is a single living organism. Chapters 2-8 are no better. The "nature" of the book's title is uneven. The "culture" part is similarly without deep thought. It is as if any notion, or more tangibly, any photograph, illustration, or work of art with water in it, was considered, even if no mention of it is made in the text. So we see a waterfall in New Zealand, a New Zealand beach, an Australian beach, a New Zealand glacier--why? One photograph is captioned only with the words "Polluted waters, the detritus of profit." The footnotes throughout are spotty, and many statements are not attributed to any credible source (e.g., the Darwin misattribution, but also others). Summing Up: Not recommended. --George C. Stevens, formerly, University of New Mexico