
The Imperial Map
Cartography and the Mastery of Empire
James R. Akerman(Editor)
University of Chicago Press
Published on 1. February 2009
Book
Hardback
336 pages
978-0-226-01076-2 (ISBN)
Description
Maps from virtually every culture and period - from Babylonian world maps to Saul Steinberg's famous New Yorker cover illustration, 'View of the World from 9th Avenue' - convey our tendency to see our communities as the center of the world (if not the universe) and, by implication, as superior to anything beyond these immediate boundaries. Mapping has long been a tool by which ruling bodies could claim their entitlement to lands and peoples. It is this aspect of cartography that James R. Akerman and a group of distinguished contributors address in "The Imperial Map".Critically reflecting on elements of mapping and imperialism from the late seventeenth century to the early twentieth century, the essays discuss the nature of the imperial map through a series of case studies of empires, from the Qing dynasty of China, to the Portuguese empire in South America, to American imperial pretensions in the Pacific Ocean, among others.
Collectively, the essays reveal that the relationship between mapping and imperialism, as well as the practice of political and economic domination of weak polities by stronger ones, is a rich and complex historical theme that continues to resonate in our modern day.
Collectively, the essays reveal that the relationship between mapping and imperialism, as well as the practice of political and economic domination of weak polities by stronger ones, is a rich and complex historical theme that continues to resonate in our modern day.
More details
Series
Language
English
Place of publication
Chicago
United States
Publishing group
The University of Chicago Press
Target group
College/higher education
Professional and scholarly
Illustrations
12 colour plates, 100 halftones
Dimensions
Height: 254 mm
Width: 178 mm
ISBN-13
978-0-226-01076-2 (9780226010762)
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Schweitzer Classification
Person
James R. Akerman is director of the Newberry Library's Hermon Dunlap Smith Center for the History of Cartography, the editor of Cartographies of Travel and Navigation, and coeditor of Maps: Finding Our Place in the World, both published by the University of Chicago Press.