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Mapping an Empire: The Geographical Construction of British India, 1765-1843 Kindle Edition

by Matthew H. Edney (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
4.5 4.5 out of 5 stars 7 ratings
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In this fascinating history of the British surveys of India, Matthew H. Edney relates how imperial Britain used modern survey techniques to not only create and define the spatial image of its Empire, but also to legitimate its colonialist activities.



"There is much to be praised in this book. It is an excellent history of how India came to be painted red in the nineteenth century. But more importantly, Mapping an Empire sets a new standard for books that examine a fundamental problem in the history of European imperialism."—D. Graham Burnett, Times Literary Supplement



"Mapping an Empire is undoubtedly a major contribution to the rapidly growing literature on science and empire, and a work which deserves to stimulate a great deal of fresh thinking and informed research."—David Arnold, Journal of Imperial and Commonwealth History



"This case study offers broadly applicable insights into the relationship between ideology, technology and politics. . . . Carefully read, this is a tale of irony about wishful thinking and the limits of knowledge."—Publishers Weekly
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Previous page
  1. ISBN-13
    978-0226184883
  2. Sticky notes
    On Kindle Scribe
  3. Publisher
    University of Chicago Press
  4. Publication date
    February 15, 2009
  5. Language
    English
  6. File size
    23818 KB
  7. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Mapping an Empire is a marvelous manifestation of the interconnectedness of things. On the one hand, it is a book about a specific historical episode in which an unknown area was mapped. Yet in the course of exploring this topic, Matthew Edney touches on a huge variety of historical, cultural, political, and scientific issues. As his opening sentence states, "Imperialism and mapmaking intersect in the most basic manner"; in order to "possess" or even comprehend a territory, one must map it. As he investigates the century-long British effort to "transform a land of incomprehensible spectacle into an empire of knowledge," Edney examines the philosophical and intellectual underpinnings of cartography, maps as power politics, technical aspects of surveying, the arcane operations and internal politics of the British East India Company, and much more. The book is illustrated with beautifully executed maps, charts, and tables, and is annotated with extensive source notes, a bibliography, and an excellent index. Laypeople may find parts of Mapping an Empire dense going, but their perseverance will be rewarded by an illuminating cross- disciplinary study; students of cartography will likely find this book invaluable.

About the Author

Matthew H. Edney is Osher Professor in the History of Cartography at the University of Southern Maine. He is the author of Cartography: The Ideal and Its History and Mapping an Empire: The Geographical Construction of British India, 1765–1843, both also published by the University of Chicago Press.

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B004FN2PSS
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ University of Chicago Press (February 15, 2009)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ February 15, 2009
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 23818 KB
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 482 pages
  • Page numbers source ISBN ‏ : ‎ 0226184889
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.5 4.5 out of 5 stars 7 ratings

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Matthew H. Edney

Matthew H. Edney

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Customer reviews

4.5 out of 5 stars
4.5 out of 5
7 global ratings

Top review from the United States

C. W. Johnson
4.0 out of 5 stars The Map Controls the Territory
Reviewed in the United States on July 3, 2007
This book is quite tough going for the non-specialist. But it rewards with description of the earlier forms of map-making by plane table, the shift in perception of territory and space from the route map to the triangulated survey map. It gives strong description of history of the British East India Company through its governance and its information system- the flow of descriptive information over the administrative links between India and England. It goes several steps further in conceptual depth than The Great Arc (a more popular and accessible history of the triangulation survey phase of mapping India). The academic theorising detracts from a reading of technology and administration - but the whole book leaves a lasting impression. Place this story of growing systematisation and control through measurement and mapping against the exploits of soldiers and residents, wars and political campaigns, John Masters' great series of novels, and you get a great enlargement of vision of the eighteenth and nineteenth century subcontinent; finish up with Building The Railways of the Raj 1850-1900 [Ian J. Kerr] for another stimulating contrast of the ideologies of economic control and engineering control and development with the imaginary grids and connecting lines made real, and essential to twentieth century India.
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Kirti
5.0 out of 5 stars Wow
Reviewed in India on April 4, 2024
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Excellent Read!
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pundit
4.0 out of 5 stars 重厚な学際的研究
Reviewed in Japan on May 31, 2006
Verified Purchase
イギリス東インド会社によるインド地図作成の沿革を、レンネルからエベレストに至る人物史を縦糸に、英本国とインド間、さらにはインドの３つのプレジデンシー間の確執を横糸に描いている。

少し斜に構えると、地図作成をモチーフにした、存在論と認識論をめぐる哲学書としての読み方もできる。むしろ筆者の問題意識はこちらに重点が置かれているようだ。

いずれにしても、膨大な一次史料に基づいた重厚な学際的研究であり、読み応え十分。

地図や東印会社だけでなく、地理学や英印史一般に関心のある読者におすすめ。
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