Abstract

Hurricanes have been a constant in the history of New Orleans. Since before its settlement as a French colony in the eighteenth century, the land entwined between Lake Pontchartrain and the Mississippi River has been lashed by powerful Gulf storms.  Time and again, these hurricanes have wrought immeasurable loss and devastation, spurring reinvention and ingenuity on the part of inhabitants. Changes in the Air offers a rich and thoroughly researched history of how hurricanes have shaped and reshaped New Orleans from the colonial era to the present day, focusing on how its residents have adapted to a uniquely unpredictable and destructive environment across more than three centuries.

“In her compelling book, Dr. Eleonora Rohland blends history with social science analysis to make a superb contribution to scholarship on hurricanes, environmental history, and American history.” • Joyce Chaplin, Harvard University

“Rohland’s work is a deeply researched and persuasively argued exploration of the essential role of historical scholarship in understanding long-term human adaptation to changing environments. It transcends the boundaries of environmental history and presents powerful insights into current issues related to global change.” • Craig E. Colten, Louisiana State University

Eleonora Rohland holds a doctorate from the Ruhr-University Bochum and the Institute for Advanced Study in the Humanities Essen (KWI). She is an Assistant Professor at Bielefeld University and the author of Sharing the Risk: Fire, Climate, and Disaster—Swiss Re 1864–1906 (Crucible Books, 2011).