Geographical imagination and the authority of images

More about the book

Geographical imagination and the authority of images compiles three papers and an interview from the 2005 Hettner lectures. Cosgrove explores how vision and imagination shape landscapes at various scales, from local to cosmic. The book includes in-depth studies on cosmographic and global mapping, the picturesque tradition in suburban Los Angeles, and the concept of ‘Transpennine’ England as a geographical art gallery. These discussions are interwoven with theoretical and ethical reflections on how we understand the world, ourselves, and each other through geographical engagements, particularly when mediated by graphic images. The interview contextualizes these themes within Denis Cosgrove’s journey as a geographer and his engagement with debates in the discipline regarding imagination, culture, and representation in geography’s humanities tradition. The contents feature an introduction by Peter Meusburger and Hans Gebhardt, three key papers by Denis Cosgrove on cultural geography, landscape, and regional art, as well as an interview with Tim Freytag and Heike Joens discussing the intersection of vision and culture in geography. The work is supported by the Klaus Tschira Foundations gGmbH and includes photographic representations from the Hettner lectures.