The Yellow River (Hardcover)

Ruth Mostern

ISBN 10: 0300238339 / ISBN 13: 9780300238334

Published by Yale University Press, 2021

About this Item

Hardcover. A three-thousand-year history of the Yellow River and the legacy of interactions between humans and the natural landscape From Neolithic times to the present day, the Yellow River and its watershed have both shaped and been shaped by human society. Using the Yellow River as a case study in understanding the long-term effects of environmentally significant human activity, Ruth Mostern unravels the long history of the human relationship with water and soil and the consequences, at times disastrous, of ecological transformations that resulted from human decisions. As she follows the Yellow River through three millennia of history, Mostern underlines how governments consistently ignored dynamic interrelationships among the rivers varied ecosystemsgrasslands, riparian forests, wetlands, and desertsand the ecological and cultural impact of their policies. With an interdisciplinary approach informed by archival research and GIS (geographical information system) records, this groundbreaking volume provides unique insight into patterns, transformations, and devastating ruptures throughout ecological history and offers profound conclusions about the way we continue to affect the natural systems upon which we depend. A three-thousand-year history of the Yellow River and the legacy of interactions between humans and the natural landscape Shipping may be from multiple locations in the US or from the UK, depending on stock availability.

Seller Inventory # 9780300238334

Bibliographic Details

• Title: The Yellow River (Hardcover)
• Publisher: Yale University Press
• Publication Date: 2021
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0300238339
• ISBN 13: 9780300238334
• Binding: Hardcover
• Condition: new

About this title

Synopsis

A three-thousand-year history of China’s Yellow River and the legacy of interactions between humans and the natural landscape
 
“No other scholar has produced such a systematic, comprehensive account of the long-term changes in the river’s function and structure. I consider it to be the definitive work on the topic of the Yellow River to date.”—Peter C. Perdue, author of China Marches West: The Qing Conquest of Central Eurasia
 
From Neolithic times to the present day, the Yellow River and its watershed have both shaped and been shaped by human society. Using the Yellow River to illustrate the long-term effects of environmentally significant human activity, Ruth Mostern unravels the long history of the human relationship with water and soil and the consequences, at times disastrous, of ecological transformations that resulted from human decisions.
 
As Mostern follows the Yellow River through three millennia of history, she underlines how governments consistently ignored the dynamic interrelationships of the river’s varied ecosystems—grasslands, riparian forests, wetlands, and deserts—and the ecological and cultural impacts of their policies. With an interdisciplinary approach informed by archival research and GIS (geographical information system) records, this groundbreaking volume provides unique insight into patterns, transformations, and devastating ruptures throughout ecological history and offers profound conclusions about the way we continue to affect the natural systems upon which we depend.

About the Author

Ruth Mostern is associate professor of history at the University of Pittsburgh, where she is also director of the World History Center.