Over the last fifty years, scholars, collectors, and curators revolutionized and invigorated the practice of map history. Theoretically informed studies, grounded in new archives and shaped by new technologies, have globalized both the subject and the community of map history. As a new generation of map historians emerges, as the last of the six volumes of The History of Cartography approaches completion, and as Imago Mundi, the leading journal in the field, anticipates its second century of publication, the International Society for the History of the Map (ISHMap), in collaboration with the editors of Imago Mundi, are organizing a small, one-day symposium. Where Does Map History Go Now? invites reflection on the series and its intellectual significance, and provides an opportunity to brainstorm and imagine what comes next for the field with interventions attending to the global and digital contexts of our work. It is expected that the symposium will generate a special forum section for Imago Mundi 77.2 (2025).

The symposium will take place on 2 September 2024 at the Royal Geographical Society, London. In-person space is strictly limited, but ISHMap members will be able to participate virtually. All participants, in-person and virtual, must be members in good standing of ISHMap. To attend virtually, please complete this registration form.

The symposium’s language will be English.

Organizers

  • Mirela Altic, ISHMap
  • Matthew Edney, History of Cartography Project
  • Jordana Dym and Katherine Parker, Imago Mundi: The International Journal for the History of Cartography

SCHEDULE 

All times are BST (UTC +1)

8:30 – 9:00 Welcome (coffee/tea, danishes, fruit)

9:00-10:30 Panel 1. The Once and Future History of Cartography

  • Chair: TBD
  • Matthew Edney, Director, History of Cartography Project
  • André Reyes Novaes, On the crossroads between map history and decolonial thinking
  • Anne-Sophie Pratt, The Steppe on Paper: Digital and Archival Methods in the Study of Mongol Historical Maps (19th century)

10:30-10:45 Coffee Break (coffee/tea)

10:45-12:15 Panel 2. The Future of the Global in Map History                  

  • Chair: F. Allott
  • Mirela Altic, Reflections on Temporality: Maps in Global Cultural Perspectives
  • Carla Lois, Moving beyond J.B. Harley
  • Yannan Ding, Re-provincialising the History of Cartography

12:30-1:30 Lunch (cheese tart with salad, brownies)

1:30-3:30 Panel 3. The Future of Map History in a Digital Age

  • Chair: A. Hiatt
  • Philip Jagessar, Digital Histories in a Paper World
  • Jordana Dym / Katherine Parker, An expanding role for map history journals
  • Elspeth Iralu, Rectifying a Map of Indian Country (remote presentation)
  • Martin Davis, Digitised and born-digital mapping: challenges and opportunities

3:30-3:45 Coffee Break (coffee/tea, biscuits)

3:45-5:00 Wrap Up & Next Steps                                   

  • Chair: J. Dym /K. Parker

5:30 Join us at the pub (anyone in London)