Unruly waters : how rains, rivers, coasts and seas have shaped Asia's history

Resource Information

The work Unruly waters : how rains, rivers, coasts and seas have shaped Asia's history represents a distinct intellectual or artistic creation found in Austin Public Library. This resource is a combination of several types including: Work, Language Material, Books.

This resource has been enriched with EBSCO NoveList data.

Label

Unruly waters : how rains, rivers, coasts and seas have shaped Asia's history

Title remainder

how rains, rivers, coasts and seas have shaped Asia's history

Statement of responsibility

Sunil Amrith

Title variation

Unruly waters

Title variation remainder

how rains, rivers, coasts and seas have shaped Asias history

Creator

• trueAmrith, Sunil S., 1979-

Author

• trueAmrith, Sunil S., 1979-

Subject

• trueAsia
• Asia -- Civilization | Environmental aspects
• trueAsian civilization
• trueBodies of water
• Bodies of water -- Social aspects -- Asia -- History
• trueClimate change
• HISTORY -- Asia -- General
• History
• trueHumans -- Effect of environment on
• trueHydrology
• trueOceans
• trueRain and rainfall
• trueRivers
• trueWater
• Water -- Social aspects
• Water -- Social aspects -- Asia -- History
• Water and civilization
• trueWater and civilization
• Asia

Genre

• trueHistory

Language

eng

Summary

"Despite its ferociously wet climate of monsoons and cyclones, Asia contains less usable freshwater than any continent except Antarctica. Nevertheless, more than half the world's population calls Asia home. The struggle for water has been a driving force in modern Asian history. In [this book], historian Sunil Amrith boldly reimagines Asia's history through the stories of its rains, rivers, coasts, and seas--and of the weather-watchers and engineers, mapmakers and farmers who have sought to tame and control them. From the nineteenth century to the present, dreams and fears of water have informed visions of political independence and economic development, provoked efforts to transform nature through dams and pumps, and unleashed powerful tensions within and between nations. Starting in India, which is at the heart of the story, Amrith traces this dramatic history by following the monsoons, the mountain rivers, and the ocean currents as they cross Asia's borders, linking South Asia with China and Southeast Asia. Today, India, China, and other Asian nations are racing to construct hundreds of dams in the Himalayas, with dire environmental impacts far downstream. Hundreds of millions of people live in Asia's coastal cities, increasingly threatened by cyclones and storm surges. In an age of climate change, Unruly Waters is an urgent new perspective on the history of Asia, and essential reading for anyone seeking to understand how the continent's past shapes and constrains its possible futures."--Dust jacket

Tone

• trueThought-provoking

Writing style

• trueCompelling

Cataloging source

DLC

Dewey number

• 950
• 333.910095

Illustrations

• illustrations
• maps

Index

index present

Literary form

non fiction

Nature of contents

bibliography