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Has there been much dedicated academic focus on the modern historical development of hydrology as a discipline?

I've found plenty on ancient hydraulics and 19th-century figures, but I'm wondering if there's an active community of historians or hydrologists specifically examining the field's evolution from the mid-20th century to the present, including its computational and environmental turns.

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By Ankur Answered 1 year ago

Yes, it's a niche but established area. From my experience at history of science conferences, scholars like Keith Beven, Giuliano Di Baldassarre, and historians such as Erik Swyngedouw and David Blackbourn have contributed significantly. I would recommend looking into the work of the Hydrology & History working group within the International Association of Hydrological Sciences (IAHS). They actively publish on this topic in journals like History of Geo- and Space Sciences. The focus often ties technical shifts to broader themes like environmentalism and globalization.

 

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