GEOIMAGINARIES.org: Historic Maps and their perception - a critical analysis
ISBN 978-85-88783-11-9
Authors
1Losang, E.
1LEIBNIZ-INSTITUTE FOR REGIONAL GEOGRAPHY Email: e_losang@ifl-leipzig.de
Abstract
Maps are a universal medium for communication, easily understood and appreciated by most people, regardless of language or culture. When interpreted as cultural texts they are a mere mirror of culture and civilization. “Maps do more than describing the areas of habitation, as they locate humans in a cultural and psychological sense as well” (Klinghoffer 2006: 17). However, what happens to maps when they are produced in a specific political context? Are they still universal or do they convey a politically influenced and influencing message? Are maps simple depictions of space or do they themselves produce spatial relationships while being produced or interpreted? Can we trace back certain influences by implementing context and mapping related analytical frameworks? Very often the interpretation of geospatial imaginations from the past is undertaken by applying contemporary knowledge or at least the knowledge of the technical cartography, established in the 50s and 60s (e. g. Robinson 1952, Bertin 1967). One cannot unveil a map’s secret without knowing the production techniques applied, the context of production, a basic understanding of map perception, based on the fundamentals of cartographic education in the respective period and country. Thus many aspects of the postmodern interpretation of maps as an "instrument of power" may have been over-emphasised. Inspired by the ongoing spatial turn in the humanities and reflecting the critical theory grounded concept of critical cartography, the project "Digital Atlas of Geopolitical Imaginaries of East Central Europe in the 20th Century” (DAPRO) (shortened to Geoimaginaries for further publication on the Internet), is the joint effort of a network of scientific institutions. Over the last four years the working group of Geoimaginaries has developed a comprehensive sample of maps reflecting different spatial historical focal points. The main aim of the project is to compare cartographic languages as means of visualization. In doing so, Geoimaginaries combines various approaches of different scientific provenances. The principal constituent of the atlas is the corpus of source maps (virtual map library) which are chronologically and geographically ordered. In addition the metadata of the maps are stored in a relational database, comprising detailed information on the production und publishing context. The atlas offers several thematic units of varying scope, such as war, peace, territory or border. Vertical to the thematic units, in depth “stories” trace certain spatial and historic themes. A map analysis unit is dedicated to visual means of cartographic expressions and map language, spanning across structural parts of the atlas. It is an educational unit that triggers the interactive process of map deconstruction by reconstruction. The unit explains the constituent elements of maps reflecting the map production processes of the different periods. Thus the combined research module of Geoimaginaries provides a cartographic analysis framework to identify and apply archival material relating to either the process of map making (production related) or the process of map using (cognition related). A second framework will reflect on the modes of use of different mapping elements, again focusing on production and use of maps. Reflecting the multitude of different historic and spatial contexts in which maps have depicted geographical imaginations, combined with different purposes of maps and their respective mapping (production) contexts is too complex to be covered the maps incorporated. Thus, the research driven addition of maps and contextualised content is essential and instils GeoImaginaries the character of a continuously published (historic) lose leaf atlas. Blake, J. 1997: Maps and History. Constructing Images of the Past. New Haven. Klinghoffer, A. J. 2006: The Power of Projections: How Maps Reflect Global Politics and History. London. Further lit. is provided in the full paper.
Keywords
Historic Map Compilation; Map Analysis ; Reconstruction