Maps and Empires

Catalog description

The human fascination with maps is perennial, but it has been transformed in recent decades from a field for antiquarian map-lovers to a bona fide domain of intellectual inquiry. Maps are now understood as instruments of power and domination rather than value-free representations of territory. Using the world-renowned cartographic collection of the John Carter Brown Library, this seminar will examine the role of maps and other graphic representations of space in the consolidation and contestation of imperial dominions, introducing students to the idea of using maps as primary source materials for historical and cultural analysis. Winter session. P