From: Asian Folklore Studies | Date: October 1, 1997| Author: Frembgen, Jurgen Wasim | COPYRIGHT 1997 Asian Folklore Studies. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan.  All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group.Copyright information

The book under review deals with the alleged direct linkage between a complex irrigation system in a high-mountain region of the Northwest Karakorum and the process of state formation. The author attempts to prove that the "centrally-controlled hydraulic system" is a "decisive factor in the evolution of the state in Hunza" (66, 74). Following Karl Wittfogel's famous "hydraulic hypothesis," he emphasizes that "command over the hydraulic apparatus gave the Mir... political power" (75)....