Making Geographies : The Circulation of British Geographical Knowledge of Australia, 1829-1863

This study is concerned with the challenging question of how British geographies of Australia were made in the mid-nineteenth century. It examines the processes and practices that constituted the analysis, movement and use of the enormous amount of information produced by British explorations and surveys of the Australian continent. The study focuses on the period between 1829-1863, when the interior of the continent was explored and settlements expanded at a rapid rate. The study focuses on the roles of the following actors in Great Britain and the Australian colonies: The Colonial Office, official establishments overseen by governors in the colonies, the Royal Geographical Society (RGS) and the cartographer John Arrowsmith (1790–1873). The material examined consists of the official correspondence between the Colonial Office and the governors of the colonies, and other correspondence, printed material, and manuscript and printed maps that were prepared in the Australian colonies and in Great Britain by different actors. The research is conducted by investigating the processes of knowledge-making with methodological tools used in the history of knowledge and processual map history. These include the analytical tool of ‘circulation’ and examining the processes that constituted the production, movement and use of maps. In practice, the study is conducted by (1) examining the manuscript material (maps, texts) alongside the printed and published material and (2) by examining the material relating to their circulation and use, such as minutes, annotations and marginalia. In sum, the research findings demonstrate how the snippets of information produced by different individuals gained the power to define the continent by being circulated. These developments, which took place in the mid-nineteenth century, were rooted in the social processes that occurred in different, interconnected locations. The main findings and implications of this study include: (1) The production of British geographies of Australia was a spatio-temporal process, as the location of knowledge-work and the pace at which material became available in different locations influenced the type of knowledge formed by the actors; (2) Geographical knowledge of Australia was achieved through chains of knowledge brokers in different locations. Pieces of information were mediated and transformed in the hands of numerous different actors into geographical knowledge; (3) Intertextuality and multi-modality contributed to the production of geographical knowledge, whereby maps and text had co-constitutive roles in the process; (4) John Arrowsmith was a key individual in the process of mapping Australia. This was due to his strong relationship with the Colonial Office, the RGS and Australian explorers; (5) The processual approach is productive when studying the history of knowledge and this work encourages the use of archival material in order to examine the processes of knowledge-making. This study encourages the further application of this method, especially in relation to studies aiming to understand how knowledge was formed and how structures of knowledge were established in different locations.Väitöskirjassani tutkin Australiaa koskevan maantieteellisen tiedon muodostamista 1800-luvun keskimmäisinä vuosikymmeninä eli ajankohtana, jolloin britit enenevässä määrin asuttivat mannerta. Tutkin käytäntöjä ja prosesseja, joiden tuloksena tutkimusmatkojan ja kartoittamisen tuloksena tuotettua Australian mannerta koskevaa informaatiota analysoitiin, välitettiin eri paikkoihin ja käytettiin. Tutkimukseni keskittyy vuosien 1829–1863 väliseen ajanjaksoon, jolloin mantereen sisäosia tutkittiin intensiivisesti ja eri puolille mannerta perustetut siirtokunnat laajenivat kiihtyvällä vauhdilla. Tarkastelen erityisesti seuraavia toimijoita Australian siirtokunnissa ja Britanniassa: Britannian siirtomaaministeriö, siirtokuntien kuvernöörit, Lontoossa toiminut Royal Geographical Society ja kartografi John Arrowsmith (1790–1873). Tutkimuksessa käytetyt aineistot koostuvat kirjeenvaihdosta, painetuista materiaaleista, käsikirjoituskartoista ja painetuista kartoista, joita eri toimijat tuottivat Britanniassa ja Australian siirtokunnissa. Toteutan tutkimukseni rekonstruoimalla tiedon liikkumisen ja tuottamiseen prosesseja.Tutkimukseni menetelmät yhdistävät työkaluja tiedon historiasta ja kartografian historiasta. Käytän analyysin välineenä tiedon liikkuvuttaa kuvaavaa käsitettä sirkulaatiota ja tutkin karttoja niiden tuottamisen, liikkumisen ja käyttämisen prosessien osana. Käytännössä toteutan tutkimukseni 1) lukemalla ristiin käsikirjoitusaineistoja (kartat, tekstit) painettujen ja julkaistujen materiaalien kanssa ja 2) tutkimalla aineistoja, jotka kertovat eri tekstien ja karttojen liikkumisesta ja käytöstä, kuten muistiinpanoja ja marginaalimerkintöjä. Tutkimukseni tulokset osoittavat kuinka tiedon osat saivat merkityksensä osana laajempia tietorakenteita liikkumalla paikasta ja toimijalta toiselle. Tiedon liike perustui sosiaalisille käytännöille, jotka sitoivat yhteen eri puolilla maailmaa sijaitsevat paikat. Tutkimuksen päätuloksia ovat: 1) Maantieteellisen tiedon tuottaminen oli spatio-temporaalinen prosessi ja nopeus, jolla eri toimijat saivat eri materiaalit käyttöönsä, vaikutti muodostetun tiedon sisältöön; 2) Maantieteellistä tietoa tuotettiin toisiinsa yhteydessä olevien tiedon välittäjien ja työstäjien työn tuloksena. Eri toimijat välittivät tietoa eteenpäin ja muokkasivat tietoa näin tehdessään; 3) Intertekstuaalisuudella ja monimodaalisuudella oli keskeinen merkitys tiedon muodostamisen prosesseissa. Kartoilla ja teksteillä oli toisiaan täydentävä rooli; 4) John Arrowsmith oli avainhenkilö Australian kartoittamisessa. Tämä johtui hänen verkostoistaan siirtomaaministeriön ja RGS:n kanssa; 5) Prosessuaalinen näkökulma on hedelmällinen lähtökohta tiedon muodostumisen prosessien tutkimiseen ja tutkimus alleviivaa arkistomateriaalin käytön merkitystä tiedon muodostumisen tutkimuksessa. Tutkimuksen tulokset rohkaisevat sirkulaation ja prosessuaalisten näkökulmien käyttöön tutkimuksissa, joissa pyritään tutkimaan, kuinka eri toimijat ovat historiallisesti tuottaneet tietoa ja näin osallistuneet erilaisten tietorakenteiden vakiinnuttamiseen

Mapping the undiscovered objects and sites in Lithuania

Forlorn, uncared-for cultural or natural objects and sites fail to be included into lists of touristic attractions due to their obscurity, poor condition and communication and are usually visited by certain social groups (extreme adventure travellers, members of various subcultures and etc.). The analysis revealed a wide array of such objects and sites, which are unknown and not in very good condition, can be very different starting with manor houses, historic parks and gardens and finishing with airfields, open courses or dumping grounds. The goal of a pilot research project carried out at the National Centre of Remote Sensing and Geoinformatics “GIS-Centras” was to collect information on diverse objects and sites that are typically not included into official information sources and fall outside the tourist infrastructure network. The collected information will be published as a map service. The inventory of such undiscovered objects and sites and visualisation is one of the ways to encourage the interest of visitors, especially in regions that lack famous tourist attraction objects or beautiful landscapes. The paper describes solutions for the structure of the database, object acquisition technology, cartographic visualisation and publication of collected data as an online map at www.nemasinis.lt ..

An early measuring of the Holy City, forgotten for over a century: Westphal’s Jerusalem map of 1825

In 1822 and 1823 three young German scholars, Peter von Medem, Gustav Parthey and Johann Heinrich Westphal, undertook a research expedition to Egypt and Palestine. One major result of this journey was a very accurate map of Jerusalem: “Jerusalem und seine nächsten Umgebungen” (“Jerusalem and its environs”), published in 1825 by Heinrich Berghaus in his journal Hertha. Together with Franz Wilhelm Sieber’s plan of 1818 this map belongs to the very first “modern” maps of Jerusalem, based on measurements and new scientific research results. In addition, the sketches, as well as extracts from Parthey’s and von Medem’s diaries, formed the material for Berghaus’ memoir to his Map of Syria in 1835. This article deals with the background of the voyage, the production, publication and reception of the map, and the complex network of actors involved, based on recently discovered archival sources. Moreover, the map became forgotten in the 19th and 20th centuries. Apart from Berghaus, the map was actually never used by later cartographers of Jerusalem and no longer mentioned in studies concerning the history of the city’s modern cartography

The Nature of British Mapping of West Africa, 1749 - 1841

By focusing on the “nature” of mapping, this thesis falls under the category of critical cartography closely associated with the work of Brian Harley in the 1980s and early 1990s. As such the purpose of this research is to highlight the historical context of British maps, map-making and map-reading in relation to West Africa between 1749 and 1841. I argue that maps lie near the heart of Britain’s interactions with West Africa though their appearance, construction and use evolved dramatically during this period. By beginning this study with a prominent French example (Jean Baptiste Bourguignon d’Anville’s 1749 “Afrique”) I show how British map-makers adapted cartography from France for their own purposes before circumstances encouraged the development of new materials. Because of the limited opportunities to make enquiries in the region and the relatively few people involved in affecting change to the map’s content, this thesis highlights the episodes and manufactured narratives which feature in the chronology of evolving cartographies. This study concludes with the failure of the 1841 Niger Expedition, when Britain’s humanitarian agenda saw the attempted establishment of a model farm on banks of the Niger River and the negotiation of anti-slave trade treaties with nearby Africans. The cartography and geographical knowledge which supported this scheme is in stark contrast with what existed in the mid-eighteenth century. More than simply illustrating geographical and ethnographical information though, these maps helped inform Britons about themselves and I argue that much of what occurs here features prominently in national discourses about identity, civilization and the justification of British efforts to improve Africa

Special Libraries, March 1944

Volume 35, Issue 3https://scholarworks.sjsu.edu/sla_sl_1944/1002/thumbnail.jp

Exploration and mortification: Fragile infrastructures, imperial narratives, and the self-sufficiency of British naval "discovery" vessels, 1760-1815.

Eighteenth-century naval ships were impressive infrastructures, but subjected to extraordinary strain. To assist with their "voyage repairs," the Royal Navy gradually established numerous overseas bases, displaying the power, reach, and ruthless logistical efficiency of the British state. This article, however, is concerned with what happened where no such bases (yet) existed, in parts of the world falling in between areas of direct British administration, control, or influence. The specific restrictions imposed by technology and infrastructures have been studied by historians interested in naval strategy, but they can also help to reframe national narratives of power or observe the transnational interactions surrounding access to knowledge and resources. This paper discusses the material, cultural, and diplomatic constraints that could appear when vessels, and especially "discovery ships," sailed in strange waters or sought technical assistance in allied ports. I argue that the "mortification" of some commanders at their vessels' unfitness for service was an important - and often neglected - element on the palette of emotions undergone by voyagers, capturing their strong sense of ultimate material powerlessness. Such frustration even became embedded in imperial cartography, as shown by the case study of Matthew Flinders. This perspective highlights the limits of naval technology, complicating imperialistic "success stories" and better reintegrating the navy into the history of maritime travel and transportation, from which it is often singled out.Institute of Historical Research Scouloudi Fellowship. Institute of Historical Research Power and Postan Fund