Christof Mauch Delivers Final Lecture at LMU
10.07.2026
On Thursday, 2 July, Christof Mauch delivered the final lecture of his teaching career at LMU ahead of his retirement in autumn. As director of the RCC and chair of American culture and transatlantic relations at LMU, Christof has played an outsized role in establishing the environmental humanities, and has connected countless scholars across the globe. His conclusive lecture was attended by his students, RCC fellows and colleagues, and members of the public.
Titled “Nature’s Gamble: Las Vegas and the Environmental History of the American West,” Christof’s talk emphasized the push-and-pull of environment and society in Las Vegas, Nevada, from 1870 until today. Not only did desert conditions shape the region’s burgeoning settler culture, but so too did calculated investment and large-scale labor quite literally transform the landscape with the construction of the Hoover Dam. Electrification, illumination, and climate control serve as the pillars of the city, and Christof explained how the development of these technologies enabled the city to thrive despite its arid conditions. His lecture also explored the role of imagery and cultural associations in establishing the city’s reputation and attracting tourists. Spectacle has been central to Las Vegas’s identity, and Christof revealed lesser known, unsettling ways in which this has manifested, from nuclear tourism and “Miss Atomic” to local military bases and “atomic soldiers.” Finally, Christof discussed Las Vegas’s current environmental struggles—the greatest being extreme heat—and proposed future directions in which the city could develop.
Congratulations to Christof on his expansive teaching career at LMU, and thank you for the generosity as teacher and mentor.