Cartographies of Conquest MTA
Maps, explorers, and the making of geographic knowledge

About this book:

"Cartographies of Conquest" examines how maps have historically served as powerful instruments of European conquest, colonization, and the imposition of geographic knowledge. The book argues that maps are not neutral reflections of reality but political technologies that actively shape perception, lay claims, and facilitate control over territories and populations. It traces the evolution of European cartographic practices, from early navigational charts and military surveys to missionary grids, cadastral maps, and the sophisticated scientific mapping of continents and resources. Each chapter highlights how specific cartographic techniques—like projection, scale, and symbol—were employed to define, divide, and ultimately dominate diverse global landscapes.

A central theme is the collision between European cartographic traditions, which prioritized fixed, measurable, and universal representations of space, and the sophisticated, often relational and performative, Indigenous spatial knowledge systems that pre-existed European contact. The book details various Indigenous cosmographies, such as Australian songlines, Polynesian stick charts, and North American pictographic maps, demonstrating their inherent complexity and utility. It explores how European mapmakers frequently erased or distorted Indigenous place names and land-use patterns, replacing them with European nomenclature and grids to assert ownership and control. However, it also acknowledges the crucial, though often uncredited, role of Indigenous guides and brokers in providing essential geographic information to European explorers.

The book details the varied applications of maps in establishing imperial power: from treaty maps that legally divided territories despite profound cultural misunderstandings, to mineral surveys that claimed subterranean wealth, and hydrological maps that managed vital water resources. It also scrutinizes how urban plans enforced segregation, and how the mass production of atlases through print capitalism normalized a Eurocentric worldview. Crucially, the narrative extends to the "afterlives" of these historical maps, demonstrating their enduring impact on modern political borders, property rights, and environmental injustices.

Finally, "Cartographies of Conquest" concludes by exploring contemporary efforts at "counter-mapping," where Indigenous communities and marginalized groups leverage modern technologies like GIS and satellite imagery to assert their sovereignty, revitalize ancestral knowledge, and challenge dominant narratives. These efforts aim to "rematriate" land and knowledge, using mapping as a tool for resistance, cultural affirmation, and the repair of historical harms. The book ultimately emphasizes that mapping remains a contested terrain, where the ongoing struggle over representation continues to shape our understanding of the world and our pursuit of more equitable and decolonial futures.

What You'll Find Inside:

• Maps as political technologies: Reveals how cartography served conquest through boundary-making, resource surveys, and legal documentation that enabled territorial control and administrative force.
• Knowledge encounters: Explores the complex translation, negotiation, and resistance between European cartographic practices and diverse Indigenous spatial knowledge systems like songlines, khipus, and stick charts.
• Technology and empire: Traces how advances from portolan charts to GPS and satellite imagery amplified imperial power by enabling precise measurement, claiming, and management of lands and resources.
• Counter-mapping resistance: Documents how Indigenous communities reappropriate cartographic tools for sovereignty claims, cultural revitalization, and legal evidence, blending traditional knowledge with modern technologies.
• Enduring cartographic legacies: Examines how colonial maps continue shaping modern political boundaries, land disputes, environmental injustice, and social inequalities while serving as evidence in reconciliation efforts.

Who's It For:

This book is essential for scholars and students in geography, history, anthropology, and Indigenous studies who seek to understand the political dimensions of cartography. It will also benefit professionals working in land rights, cultural heritage management, environmental justice, and decolonial initiatives, as well as readers interested in the intersection of power, representation, and spatial knowledge in colonial and postcolonial contexts.