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Experts on the past, working in the present: what archeologists can contribute to current water management
Author(s) -
Holt Emily
Publication year - 2017
Publication title -
wiley interdisciplinary reviews: water
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.413
H-Index - 24
ISSN - 2049-1948
DOI - 10.1002/wat2.1215
Subject(s) - theme (computing) , politics , work (physics) , current (fluid) , archaeology , power (physics) , history , political science , computer science , geology , engineering , law , world wide web , oceanography , mechanical engineering , physics , quantum mechanics
By definition, archeologists study the past—often the ancient past—and their work may not seem relevant to present‐day problems in water management. However, the knowledge of both past practices and current conditions that archeologists gain through conducting research can have useful contemporary applications. The archeological conference Water and Power in Past Societies, held at the University at Buffalo in April 2015, highlighted these potential contributions in a panel discussion on ‘what archaeology can contribute to contemporary water politics.’ The main theme to emerge from the discussion was that archeologists’ varied experiences make them well suited to inform and facilitate dialogue among conflicting perspectives. This opinion piece summarizes and builds on the themes of the panel discussion to outline ways in which archeologists may contribute to solving current water issues. WIREs Water 2017, 4:e1215. doi: 10.1002/wat2.1215 This article is categorized under: Human Water > Methods Engineering Water > Planning Water Human Water > Water Governance Human Water > Water as Imagined and Represented