{"product_id":"9781789146882","title":"Water Beings","description":"Author: Veronica Strang\u003cbr\u003eISBN: 9781789146882\u003cbr\u003ePublisher: Reaktion Books\u003cbr\u003eYear first published: 01 Jun 2023\u003cbr\u003ePages: 280\u003cbr\u003eFormat: Hardback\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eLooking to the vast human history of water worship, a crucial study of our broken relationship with all things aquatic - and how we might mend it.\u003c\/b\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eEarly human relationships with water were expressed through beliefs in serpentine aquatic deities: rainbow-coloured, feathered or horned serpents, giant anacondas and dragons. Representing the powers of water, these beings were bringers of life and sustenance, world creators, ancestors, guardian spirits and law makers. Worshipped and appeased, they embodied people's respect for water and its vital role in sustaining all living things.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eYet today, though we still recognise that 'water is life', fresh- and saltwater ecosystems have been critically compromised by human activities. This major study of water beings, and what has happened to them in different cultural and historical contexts, demonstrates how and why some - but not all - societies have moved from worshipping water to wreaking havoc upon it, and asks what we can do to turn the tide.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u0026amp;#x27;A far-ranging and gorgeously illustrated study, \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eWater Beings\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cb\u003e explores humanity\u0026amp;#x27;s enduring but always transforming connections to the wellsprings of life. A profound and entertaining book for a time when reimagining humanity's future has never been more vital.\u0026amp;#x27; - Caspar Henderson, author of \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eThe Book of Barely Imagined Beings\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u0026amp;#x27;With passion, rigor and creative depth, Strang eloquently takes readers across the world to further our understanding of water\u0026amp;#x27;s natural, cultural, and symbolic qualities. Water beings are brought to life alongside relational beliefs and practices. This is a magnificent work that reflects a rich human\/water\/culture relationship, and explores possibilities to avoid a climate crisis future.\u0026amp;#x27; - Sandy Toussaint, University of Western Australia\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u0026amp;#x27;A spellbinding anthropological itinerary through the winding ways of serpentine water beings as they have manifested through history and across cultures. Luminously illustrated, ingeniously researched, and beautifully narrated, Strang's book is a treasure, a store of revelatory stories about how materiality, meaning, and myth have intertwined to create the aqueous spirits and deities that have accompanied human being and becoming.\u0026amp;#x27; - Stefan Helmreich, Elting E. Morison Professor of Anthropology, Massachusetts Institute of Technology\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Ships in 10 to 15 days","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46857098100894,"sku":"ADS-9781789146882","price":68.78,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0400\/9043\/5742\/files\/9781789146882.jpg?v=1779154192","url":"https:\/\/classicbargains.com.au\/products\/9781789146882","provider":"Classic Bargains Australia","version":"1.0","type":"link"}