Modern Myths of the Mekong

The modern world is equally governed by various myths, as were the ancient times to which we usually associate the term myth. The myths are of course volatile and domain specific, but we seem to need “simple truths” that help in understanding the world of extreme complexities, and above all, in making actions in a coordinated way. Whereas such myths may be helpful and pragmatic, they may also distort our actions as they present only very simple projections of a complex entity. Policies and agendas related to for example development and environment are exposed to various myths, just like most human activities.</p><p>The aim of this summary volume is to take a closer look to a collection of crucial development concepts on the Mekong River in Southeast Asia that can be considered as modern myths, and to analyse what they actually mean and what kind of implications they have.</p><p>The 18 myths that are scrutinized in this volume are classified into four groups:<br />• Nature<br />• Making a living out of nature<br />• Development<br />• Politics and policies</p><p>This volume contains summaries of these articles in English and the six main languages spoken in the Mekong Region: Burmese, Chinese, Khmer, Lao, Thai, and Vietnamese. The full articles are published by Water & Development Publications – Helsinki University of Technology.