Mediating Geographic Knowledge

Between 1888 and 1914, U.S. geographical societies became central institutions mediating the production and circulation of geographic knowledge. Anchoring his analysis in the American Geographical Society, Maximilian Reimann moves beyond celebrated explorers to examine the knowledge infrastructures, networks, and everyday labor of editors, librarians, and councilors who defined modern geography. He traces how knowledge traveled from the field to libraries and archives, evolving into publications and lectures that had to balance academic credibility with popular appeal. Together, national and regional societies shaped geography into a respected discipline and a popular science entangled with American national ambitions and imperial visions.

Maximilian Reimann is a research associate at Deutsches Museum in Munich. He studied modern history and completed his doctorate in american cultural history at Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München. His research focuses on the history of geography and empire, alongside expertise in the digital humanities.