Water is never just H2O. It is always more. It has its own ways of world-making and is much more than just a substance or a commodity. Water is also a focal point of religious meanings and inspires cultural practices. The book shows the different forms, the wide range and the impressive diversity of people´s dealings with water in different cultures. It presents case studies from various parts of the world, staging problems about changing accessibility of water and the expectations of men and women at different places. While focusing on the micro level the transdisciplinary approach highlights the fundamental differences of water related meanings and practices.
Table of Content
Contents
Preface7
Introduction
Karlheinz Cless and Hans Peter Hahn9
Water as substance and meaning: Anthropological perspectives
Hans Peter Hahn23
Virtual water and water footprints: Global supply and production chains and their impacts on freshwater resources
Simon Meissner44
What is water? Some philosophical considerations
Klaus Ruthenberg65
An essay on dew
Jens Soentgen79
People at the well: Experiences around water
Karlheinz Cless98
Water magic
Richard Wilk126
Consumption and production: Changing perceptions of water in northern Ghana
Wolfram Laube145
Neglecting the opportunity? Productive water uses for small income generation
Irit Eguavoen170
Water makes the difference: The case of South India
Bettina Weiz190
Making connections: Accessing water in Mumbai’s settlements
Nikhil Anand217
Water in Amazonia
Klaus Hilbert232
Water management by divine benevolence along the River Nile: Artificial water reservoirs as pastoral meeting places in the Meroitic Sudan (ca. 350 B.C. to 350 A.D.)
Petra Weschenfelder246
Water beliefs and changing times in Nigeria
Emmanuel M. Akpabio266
Guarded by the devil: The fear of pollution from wells among the Iraqw of northern Tanzania
Anne-Christina Achterberg-Boness281
Figure and Table Credits299
Notes on Contributors303
Index of Persons and Subjects307
Index of Locations315
About the author
Hans Peter Hahn ist Professor am Institut für Ethnologie der Universität Frankfurt am Main, Karlheinz Cless, Dr. rer. oec., ist dort Doktorand. Jens Soentgen, Dr. phil., ist wissenschaftlicher Leiter am Wissenschaftszentrum Umwelt der Universität Augsburg.
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