April 1.  “Long Rivers, Deep Histories.” Hosted by Sunil Amrith and featuring Ruth Mostern, Faisal Hussain, Maya Peterson, and Hieu Phung. 

Rivers connect and divide Asia.  Himalayan sourced rivers provide water for almost half the world’s population, in east, south, central, and southeast Asia, crossing the boundaries of nearly every state in these regions before reaching ocean shores.  The headwaters and delta of the Tigris likewise connect and divide West Asian states.  What do these histories look like in a comparative, connected, and collective perspective?

            Historians have long studied how people adapt to riverine environments, which count among the most important site of early settlements, states, and population growth.  Now we are learning much more about how histories shape rivers and the livelihoods they sustain.  Panelists with expertise across the Asia reflect on new and enduring questions, older and more recent trends in scholarship, and on how the concept of the Anthropocene changes the way we practice history.