Historical mapping is vital in understanding how societies came to be and what influences, beliefs and justifications associate to these present-day patterns of human behavior and experiences. Maps are one of the critical instruments that aid in understanding place, time and space of history. It is therefore imperative to use maps in revealing the particular aspects of the political, economic, and social lives of old cities and regions. However, there are contradictions, omissions, and questions concerning using cartographic representations in understanding the epistemology of different areas and their authenticity in the underlying dimensions of place, space, and time. This essay will focus on the role that maps and cartography play in justifying what beliefs lie in history, what they offer that traditional accounts cannot and perceived inferences of the cartographers.
Through maps, individuals can learn and understand how the past constructs or fashions the present understandings of regions and people’s history. Studying history is a vital aspect of life as it enables individuals to learn about society. However, in trying to justify these facets through the reconstruction and deconstruction of maps, there are missing parts. For example, according to Adelusi-Adeluyi’s “Imagine Lagos” article, she tries to reconstruct the city of Lagos during the pre-colonial period. However, in trying to understand the social lives of the city’s people, there are challenges since “European visitors” write most of the records available and “self-generated narratives are a rare and valuable commodity (2017).” In her analysis, she also argues that spatial study indicates that there are unfounded assumptions about the city’s representation as unplanned and unmarked. Instead, its organization reflects political rather than visual qualities.
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Maps are quintessential in understanding the spaces, time, and locations of different regions but cannot explain the societal aspect of the people living in these regions. The 17th century Europeans were the first to emphasize the epistemological importance of maps. Harley in “Deconstruction of maps,” argues that plans are not only an accurate representation basing on geometry and science motivation but that they also include the social norms and traditional values (1989). However, they do not indicate or attempt to visualize the beliefs, truths and societal aspects of the people living in these spaces (Basset, 1994). Basset, continues to argue that according to deconstructionist theories, cartography was just a means of signifying power and as a means whose purpose of strategic influence and domination as used by the colonialists and imperialists in conquering Africa. Therefore, the goal of these maps is not clear as to the intention and original purpose.
Various schools of thought relate cartography to European renaissance, and it is for this reason that early maps are inseparable to politics. For example, according to Adelusi-Adeluyi, Lagos was not efficiently planned and thus not beautiful. This representation was because it focused on how structures like the market and homes reflect the old kingship rule of the region and not on the flexibility of the women or the culture of the people in song and dance. Additionally, Objectivity of maps and the reason as to why they are in association to eurocentrism leads to the fact there is a reason as to why some aspects of the map-making process were left or dominated by the Europeans. Despite the various arguments for this notion, there are also aspects that question the authenticity in explaining, describing, and moving beyond Eurocentrism.
In conclusion, however, the deliberate omissions of the native culture, technical pre-medieval material raises the pertinent question as to the field of cartography and the role eurocentrism plays. In this perspective, the endeavor of reconstructing and gaining knowledge into the notions earlier neglected is vital. That is the reason there is a need to understand the motive behind early cartography and answer questions related to their role in the early colonial involvement of “visitors” since there are rarely any accounts of the natives in acknowledging their way of life.
References
Adeyusi-Adeluyi, A. (2018). Imagine Lagos: Mapping a pre-Colonial West African City. Globalurbanhistory. Retrieved 4 May, 2018 from, https://globalurbanhistory.com/2017/03/28/imagine-lagos-mapping-a-pre-colonial-west-african-city/
Bassett, J. T. (1994). Cartography and Empire Building in the Nineteenth-Century West Africa. Geographical Review, 84. 3. Retrieved 4 May 4, 2018 from, http://www.press.uchicago.edu/books/HOC/HOC_V2_B3/HOC_VOLUME2_Book3_chapter3.pdf
Harley, J. B. (1989). Deconstructing the Map. Cartographica , 26. 2.
