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Distributed for Campus Verlag

People at the Well

Kinds, Usages and Meanings of Water in a Global Perspective

People at the Well investigates habits, practices, and meanings of water through case studies from around the world. With its wide range and impressive diversity, this volume points to water practices in different cultures and shows that water is much more than a commodity, a resource, or a substance—it is a focal point of meanings and practices and thereby reflects culture as such. By providing close scrutiny, the contributors explore and discover the fundamental differences and dynamics of various water-related practices and cultural phenomena.


316 pages | 73 color plates, 7 halftones, 6 tables | 5 1/2 x 8 3/8 | © 2012

Anthropology: Cultural and Social Anthropology


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Table of Contents

Preface
Introduction
      Karlheinz Cless and Hans Peter Hahn

Water as substance and meaning: Anthropological perspectives
      Hans Peter Hahn
Virtual water and water footprints: Global supply and production chains and their impacts on freshwater resources
      Simon Meissner
What is water? Some philosophical considerations
      Klaus Ruthenberg
An essay on dew
      Jens Soentgen
People at the well: Experiences around water
      Karlheinz Cless
Water magic
      Richard Wilk
Consumption and production: Changing perceptions of water in northern Ghana
      Wolfram Laube
Neglecting the opportunity? Productive water uses for small income generation
      Irit Eguavoen
Water makes the difference: The case of South India
      Bettina Weiz
Making connections: Accessing water in Mumbai’s settlements
      Nikhil Anand
Water in Amazonia
      Klaus Hilbert
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 Weschenfelder
Water beliefs and changing times in Nigeria
      Emmanuel M. Akpabio
Guarded by the devil: The fear of pollution from wells among the Iraqw of northern Tanzania
      Anne-Christina Achterberg-Boness

Figure and Table Credits
Notes of Contributors
Index of Persons and Subjects
Index of Locations

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