{"product_id":"the-range-of-the-river-a-riverine-history-of-empire-across-china-india-and-southeast-asia-hardback-9781503641990","title":"The Range of the River; A Riverine History of Empire Across China, India, and Southeast Asia (Hardback) 9781503641990","description":"\u003cfont face=\"Georgia\"\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cfont size=\"6\"\u003eThe Range of the River\u003c\/font\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\r\n\u003cfont size=\"5\"\u003eA Riverine History of Empire Across China, India, and Southeast Asia\u003c\/font\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cfont size=\"4\"\u003eIftekhar Iqbal (Author)\u003c\/font\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cfont size=\"3\"\u003e9781503641990\u003c\/font\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cfont size=\"3\"\u003eHardback, published 2 December 2025\u003c\/font\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cfont size=\"3\"\u003e272 pages, 39 halftones, 1 map\u003cbr\u003e22.9 x 15.2 x 1.5 cm, 0.666 kg\u003c\/font\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\u003cp align=\"justify\"\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u003cfont size=\"3\"\u003e\"This is a work of considerable conceptual originality based on a great deal of rich empirical research, and it will be lauded for opening up new ways of doing transnational histories. The geographical argument that sees communities link across the upland rivers in this macro-region is quite innovative in the realm of Asian studies. As such, the book is a powerful, important achievement.\" \u003cbr\u003e  —Prasenjit Duara, Duke University\u003c\/font\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp align=\"justify\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cfont size=\"3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eSpanning nearly 4 million square kilometers, the Tibetan river system—including the Brahmaputra, Irrawaddy, Salween, Mekong, Red, and Yangzi—forms the largest contiguous network of rivers on the planet, stretching across eastern South Asia, mainland Southeast Asia, and southern China. \u003ci\u003eThe Range of the River\u003c\/i\u003e uncovers the entwined histories of these vast waterways and the empires, human actors, and other-than-human forces that have shaped Asia since the 1850s. Both ethnodiverse and biodiverse, these rivers were more than contested imperial spaces—they were also channels of communal and material exchange, linking near and distant contact zones. They fostered connections across Asia, driving commerce, mobility, and cultural encounters that transformed them into shared, living commons bridging societies, political powers, and economic interests.\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eTracing six major rivers across eight countries, Iftekhar Iqbal argues that these river systems formed the core of a discursive space where empires, regional political forces, ethnic groups, boaters, peddlers, explorers, merchants, and mules encountered each other in layered pathos and pathways. This groundbreaking study reimagines the river not as merely a tool of empire but as a dynamic force in itself, shaping a truly transregional Asia. By weaving together diverse riverine life-worlds, \u003ci\u003eThe Range of the River\u003c\/i\u003e invites us to rethink Asia's spatial history.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003c\/font\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\u003c\/font\u003e","brand":"Stanford University Press","offers":[{"title":"Brand New","offer_id":52610723643672,"sku":"9781503641990","price":66.29,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"url":"https:\/\/freshlyprintedbooks.co.uk\/products\/the-range-of-the-river-a-riverine-history-of-empire-across-china-india-and-southeast-asia-hardback-9781503641990","provider":"Freshly Printed Books","version":"1.0","type":"link"}