People at the Well

Kinds, Usages and Meanings of Water in a Global Perspective

Hahn Hans Peter, Cless Karlheinz, Soentgen Jens

"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.

About the Author

Hans Peter Hahn is professor at the Institute for Ethnology at the Goethe University, Frankfurt-on-Main.

Karlheinz Cless is writing his doctoral thesis at the Institute for Ethnology at the Goethe University, Frankfurt-on-Main.

Jens Soentgen is academic head of the Environmental Science Center at the University of Augsburg.

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