A broad transformation in how people understand, represent and manage water can be identified as having begun in many countries in the late 20th century. Associated with terms such as "the new water paradigm", "the end of the state-hydraulic paradigm" and "the crisis of modern water", this transformation has many aspects, including the emergence of new ways defining, approaching and managing water conflicts. In this paper, I adopt a broad historical perspective to consider how the definition and management of water conflicts has changed over the past several decades. In the paper, I also attempt to provide a typology of new and emerging ways of understanding and responding to water conflicts at various scales.