Geographies of Unsustainability - a Neopragmatic Regional Geography of Louisiana

• Applicant: Professor Dr. Olaf Kühne
• Subject Area: Human Geography
• Term: from 2021 to 2025
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 456815776

• Final Report Year: 2025

Final Report Abstract

The aim of the proposed project was to further develop the theoretical foundations of regional geography from a neopragmatist perspective and to combine theory and method using the example of the Louisiana region (USA) in the context of sustainable development. The focus was particularly on the media negotiation of this development, especially on internet-based communication. This resulted in three central research objectives: 1) basic theoretical research for the development of a neopragmatic framework with potential for horizontal geographies; 2) further development of mediageographical approaches under the aspect of digitalization; 3) conceptual linking of regional geographical analyses with future questions of sustainable development on the basis of Ralf Dahrendorf's life-chances approach. Louisiana was chosen as an exemplary case study because the region combines a variety of global and regional challenges, both physically and socially - such as resource management, environmental pollution, climate change, coastal erosion, social inequality and educational opportunities. The project results have been disseminated in numerous publications, lectures, courses and theses. The application of the neopragmatic approach to horizontal geographies proved to be successful and was also continued in subsequent projects. The particular relevance of the study was demonstrated by the effects of Hurricane Ida 2021, which impressively revealed the vulnerability of the region.

Link to the final report

https://doi.org/10.26128/2026.4

Publications

• Cartographic Representations of Coastal Land Loss in Louisiana: An Investigation Based on Deviant Cartographies. KN - Journal of Cartography and Geographic Information, 72(4), 309-323.
  Kühne, Olaf & Koegst, Lara
  
• Contingency and Landscape: Basic Considerations on Graphic and Cartographic Representations in Recourse to the Concept of Inverse Landscapes as a Contribution to Deviant Cartographies with Examples on Louisiana. KN - Journal of Cartography and Geographic Information, 73(3), 225-236.
  Kühne, Olaf; Berr, Karsten & Koegst, Lara
  
• Die internetmassenmediale touristische Konstruktion von Baton Rouge – ein neopragmatischer Zugriff. RaumFragen: Stadt – Region – Landschaft, 485-513. Springer Fachmedien Wiesbaden.
  Weber, Anna-Maria; Kühne, Olaf; Koegst, Lara; Fischer, Julia Deborah & Jenal, Corinna
  
• Geodatenkultur der Diversität: eine neopragmatische Skizzierung. KN - Journal of Cartography and Geographic Information, 73(4), 317-333.
  Edler, Dennis; Kühne, Olaf; Keil, Julian; Korte, Annika; Weißmann, Marco; Galla, Christopher; Zilt, Luca & Dickmann, Frank
  
• Land Loss in Louisiana. RaumFragen: Stadt – Region – Landschaft. Springer Fachmedien Wiesbaden.
  Kühne, Olaf & Koegst, Lara
  
• Moving Baton Rouge – From Cinematic Representations, Phenomenological Approaches and Historical Developments of the ‘Multivillage Metropolis’. RaumFragen: Stadt – Region – Landschaft, 91-127. Springer Fachmedien Wiesbaden.
  Koegst, Lara & Kühne, Olaf
  
• Neopragmatic Reflections on Coastal Land Loss and Climate Change in Louisiana in Light of Popper’s Theory of Three Worlds. Land, 12(2), 348.
  Kühne, Olaf & Koegst, Lara
  
• The Multisensory Construction of Landscape—The Computer Adventure Game “Louisiana: The Secret of the Swamps”. RaumFragen: Stadt – Region – Landschaft, 129-145. Springer Fachmedien Wiesbaden.
  Kühne, Olaf & Koegst, Lara
  
• A Neopragmatic Perspective on the Processual Nature of Landscape—Coastal Land Loss in Louisiana in the Context of Scientific Findings, Social Patterns of Interpretation, and Individual Experience. Sustainability, 16(5), 2078.
  Hinz, Lena; Weber, Anna-Maria; Koegst, Lara & Kühne, Olaf
  
• Apocalypse Now: Küstenverlust und Klimawandel in Louisiana – neopragmatische Überlegungen. Regionale Geographien | Regional Geographies, 251-273. Springer Fachmedien Wiesbaden.
  Kühne, Olaf & Koegst, Lara
  
• Baton Rouge – Restrukturierungen einer Südstaatenmetropole. In: JÜRGENS, U. and P. Pez (eds.): Krisen und Bewältigungsstrategien im Einzelhandel. Kiel, pp. 221-253
  KÜHNE, O., L. KOEGST & C. JENAL
  
• Nachhaltige Entwicklungen und Lebenschancen. RaumFragen: Stadt – Region – Landschaft. Springer Fachmedien Wiesbaden.
  Kühne, Olaf; Silina, Irina & Berr, Karsten
  
• Neopragmatische Annäherungen an horizontale Geographien – zum Stand der Dinge, zu Potenzialen und Herausforderungen. Regionale Geographien | Regional Geographies, 23-48. Springer Fachmedien Wiesbaden.
  Kühne, Olaf
  
• Oilscapes of Louisiana. RaumFragen: Stadt – Region – Landschaft. Springer Fachmedien Wiesbaden.
  Kühne, Olaf; Koegst, Lara & Berr, Karsten
  
• Redescribing Horizontal Geographies. Neopragmatic Horizontal Geographies. Springer Nature Switzerland.
  Kühne, Olaf
  
• Redeskriptionen horizontaler Geographien. Regionale Geographien | Regional Geographies. Springer Nature Switzerland.
  Kühne, Olaf
  
• Fallibilism and Generative AI in Cartography: Some Fundamental Theoretical Thoughts. KN - Journal of Cartography and Geographic Information, 75(2), 123-135.
  Edler, Dennis; Drews, Jule; Berr, Karsten & Kühne, Olaf
  
• Kartographische Vokabulare und ihre Redeskription zwischen theoretischer Reflexion und Anforderungen der praktischen Weltbewältigung. Berichte Geographie und Landeskunde, 98(2-3), 244-270.
  Kühne, Olaf; Edler, Dennis; Lohmann, Petra; Berr, Karsten & Schuster, Kai
  
• Neopragmatismus – inverse Landschaft – (karto)graphische Darstellung. Von der Kritik zur Weiterentwicklung. RaumFragen: Stadt – Region – Landschaft. Springer Fachmedien Wiesbaden.
  Kühne, Olaf; Berr, Karsten; Edler, Dennis; Lohmann, Petra & Schuster, Kai
  
• Reconstructing the Map: A Neopragmatist Perspective on Cartography in the Context of Artificial Intelligence (AI). KN - Journal of Cartography and Geographic Information, 75(1), 79-92.
  Kühne, Olaf & Edler, Dennis