Rivers and Society explores the ways in which human/river relations have shaped important historical transformation processes. With examples ranging from explorations of classical agrarian civilisations such as the Indus, Angkor and Maya, to analyses of the role of water in the modernisation process of countries such as Spain, Britain and Japan, the international contributors shed new light on the ways in which the key relationship between humans and water has given rise to new forms of social organisation, new technologies and economic activities.