Mapping Europe: Cartography, Territory, and the Politics of Space MTA
How maps, borders, and geographic knowledge shaped European power and identity

About this book:

"Mapping Europe: Cartography, Territory, and the Politics of Space" explores how maps have been fundamental instruments of power, identity, and governance in Europe across millennia. The book argues that maps are not mere reflections of the world but active shapers of it, demonstrating how the evolution of cartographic techniques is deeply intertwined with political, economic, and social transformations. From the practical portolan charts guiding medieval sailors to the theological mappa mundi reflecting sacred geographies, early European maps served distinct but equally powerful functions in making space legible and controllable.

The narrative traces significant shifts in cartographic practice, from the Renaissance rediscovery of Ptolemy and the birth of the printed atlas—which standardized global views—to the early modern development of precise national frontiers. The advent of triangulation and systematic surveying by dynasties like the Cassinis and institutions like the British Ordnance Survey transformed territory into a measurable, governable entity, essential for taxation and military strategy. The Napoleonic era further centralized this control through cadastral maps, linking every parcel of land to state revenue and administrative power, a practice that spread across the continent.

The 19th and 20th centuries highlight maps as potent tools for nation-making and conflict. Ethnographic and linguistic maps imagined "natural" national communities, often fueling irredentist claims and shaping the outcomes of plebiscites and boundary commissions in contested regions like the Balkans. The World Wars saw an unprecedented militarization of cartography, with aerial photography and strategic mapping becoming critical for invasion planning, occupation, and even genocide, as exemplified by Nazi Germany's Generalplan Ost. The Cold War intensified this, creating "secret Europes" defined by classified military maps, standardized grids, and deliberate civilian map distortions.

The book concludes by examining the digital transformation of cartography. The rise of Geographic Information Systems (GIS), remote sensing, and navigation apps has shifted maps from paper to pixels, democratizing data while simultaneously creating new forms of algorithmic control and surveillance in "platform territories." Contemporary issues like migration, climate change, and maritime boundary disputes in the Arctic and Mediterranean reveal how maps continue to be instruments of power, contestation, and ethical debate. Ultimately, the book asserts that understanding the history of European cartography is essential to grasping how space has become political and how political power continues to be spatial, profoundly shaping who belongs, who decides, and where the lines are drawn.

What You'll Find Inside:

• Maps have been instruments of European power, shaping borders, governance, and identity from medieval portolan charts to modern GIS.
• Cartographic advances such as triangulation, cadastral surveys, and aerial photography enabled states to measure, tax, and control territory with increasing precision.
• Ethnographic, linguistic, and colonial maps constructed national and imperial narratives, often serving political agendas and marginalizing minority groups.
• Twentieth‑century world wars and the Cold War turned mapping into a strategic, secret, and standardized tool for military intelligence and geopolitical competition.
• Today’s digital platforms and algorithmic maps reconfigure urban space, migration control, and environmental governance while raising new ethical questions about data, bias, and power.

Who's It For:

This book is aimed at scholars and students of history, geography, political science, and urban studies, as well as professionals in cartography, GIS, and policy planning who seek to understand how mapping practices have shaped European power, identity, and governance from the Middle Ages to the digital age. It will also interest general readers curious about the political and cultural significance of maps in contemporary Europe.