About this book:

"Mapping Asia: Cartography, Exploration, and the Politics of Place from Antiquity to the Cold War" comprehensively explores the diverse and evolving history of cartography across Asia, arguing that maps are not neutral representations but powerful instruments of knowledge and power. The book traces Asian mapping traditions from early Chinese grid systems and cosmological maps, Islamic cosmographies and portolan charts, and India's sacred geographies, through the mobile cartographies of steppe empires and the intricate nautical charts of the Indian Ocean. It highlights how these indigenous traditions, often developed on materials like silk, bamboo, and palm leaf, served varied purposes including administration, pilgrimage, trade, and military strategy, often integrating cosmological beliefs with pragmatic spatial knowledge.

The narrative then shifts to the encounter with European cartography, detailing how Jesuit missionaries introduced mathematical geography and Mercatorian projections to Asian courts, notably the Qing surveys under Emperor Kangxi. This period saw a pragmatic synthesis of European techniques with existing Asian methods, producing hybrid maps that advanced imperial control and scientific understanding. The book further examines the cartographic company-states (like the VOC and EIC) that used maps as blueprints for colonial extraction and administrative control, culminating in monumental projects like the Great Trigonometrical Survey of India, which meticulously mapped the subcontinent as an act of imperial self-definition.

The later chapters delve into the intensified political uses of maps in the 19th and 20th centuries. This includes the drawing of fixed borders through treaties, the creation of buffer states, and the profound impact of urban and cadastral mapping on defining property and managing populations. The text also analyzes the rise of ethnographic atlases and census maps, which categorized people by race, tribe, and religion, and the pervasive use of propaganda maps in classrooms and public spaces to shape national identities and legitimize political agendas.

Finally, the book addresses the role of cartography in modern conflicts, from the war rooms of World War II to the Cold War's strategies of containment and development in Asia, and the enduring legacy of disputed borders and international law. The concluding chapter offers a practical guide to critically reading historical maps, emphasizing the importance of understanding the mapmaker's intent, context, and biases. Ultimately, "Mapping Asia" reveals how maps have actively shaped perceptions of Asia, influencing exploration, empire, religion, revolution, and everyday life, and continue to define territorial claims and national identities today.

What You'll Find Inside:

• Explores how maps are instruments of power, not neutral diagrams, used to articulate territory, sovereignty, and identity across Asia.
• Covers a wide range of indigenous cartographic traditions, from Chinese grid maps and Islamic cosmographies to Indian sacred geographies and archipelagic charts.
• Analyzes the collision and combination of Asian and European cartography, from Jesuit-assisted surveys and colonial company maps to modern nationalist and socialist mapping.
• Examines how maps were mobilized for politics, including drawing borders, conducting census and ethnographic surveys, planning conflicts, and creating propaganda.
• Provides a practical guide to reading historical maps, teaching readers to analyze who made a map, why, what it includes and excludes, and what its symbols and marginalia reveal.

Who's It For:

This book is for students and scholars of Asian history, cartography, colonialism, and the history of science. It will also appeal to general readers with a strong interest in how maps shape our understanding of the world and the politics of place. The content is detailed and academic, making it most suitable for readers seeking an in-depth, comparative analysis rather than a simple overview.