Water in North American Environmental History offers 25 cases studies
that explore the range of uses and perceptions of water throughout
Canadian, Mexican, and United States history.
Water has served a myriad of purposes historically as human sustenance,
agricultural irrigation, sanitation, fire protection, military defense,
power generation, transportation, and much more. Water and its uses
provide an excellent entrée into the study of humans and the
environment, not only because water is a vital resource for life, but
also because water as a medium is so intimately woven into the everyday
experiences of humans and into society's economic, political, and social
fabric. A North American perspective is not representative of the
world's water use, but it is an area with a linked history and many
overlapping human and environmental features and concerns. With a
continental perspective, the book explores many disparate topics without
being confined to the history and experiences of just one country. The
chapters are short, but descriptive, and departure points for what they
tell us about the human experience in dealing with water and the
environmental implications of water use. The text leads students to
consider water in relation to society, and to the past.
The book will be of interest to students of environmental history,
geography, and the environmental sciences.
