The sociologist Bernard Lahire feels that it is time for his discipline to identify the fundamental structures of human societies as universal mechanisms, as indisputable as the laws of physics and biology. An audacious proposal made possible by the observation of non-human societies.

As a result of climate change, a third of the world's population is likely to be affected by dwindling water reserves. This will inevitably lead to growing tensions, both internationally and locally, and raises the issue of how the world's water resources are managed and used.