HIST 061. Histories of Water: From the Ocean to the River: The Indus, the Ganges and the Brahmaputra in Global History

How have oceans and rivers challenged the limits of historical method and how have historians responded to that challenge? This course will look at the Indian Ocean World and the river worlds of the Indus,Ganges and Brahmaputra. These three rievers will serve as our main case studies and also the foundations on which we will build a gloval and comparative understanding of river history. In addition to an introduction to the environmental history of South Asia, this course will serve as an exploration of the spatial turn in historical scholarship, new debates in climate history and comparative river history.
Prerequisite: Previous course in the department or humanities, or instructor permission.
Social sciences.
1 credit.
Eligible for Concentrations: Science, Medicine, and Environment. ASIA, ENVS
Spring 2026. Azfar.
Catalog chapter: History
Department website: http://www.swarthmore.edu/history

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