Cultural Histories, Memories and Extreme Weather: A Historical Geography Perspective

2017 | Natural World

There is growing concern over the impacts of climate variability and anomalous and unusual weather. While social and economic systems have generally evolved to accommodate some deviations from 'normal' weather conditions, this is rarely true of extremes. For this reason such events can have the greatest and most immediate social and economic impact of all climate changes. This book is the first to explore the cultural contingency of such weather events, and the ways in which they are recalled, recorded or forgotten. It illustrates how geographical context, particular physical conditions, an area's social and economic activities and embedded cultural knowledges and infrastructures all affect community experiences of and responses to unusual weather. Contributions refer to varied methods of remembering and recording weather and how these act to curate, recycle and transmit extreme events across generations and into the future. With international case studies, from both land and sea, the book explores how and why particular weather events become inscribed into the cultural fabric of communities and contribute to community change in different historical and cultural contexts.

Georgina H. Endfield (Author)

Lucy Veale (Author)