Description:
Bifolium that has been mounted to only show the map. Detailed hand-coloring
Label Text:
Creating Place and Mapping Space
How do these three very different maps conceptualize space? Thinking about their makers and audiences reveals what dynamics may have influenced the creation of these maps of Afghanistan, Southeast Asia, and Istanbul.
In response to the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan in 1979, “war rugs” are believed to have been initially made by Baluch weavers as a response to the violence. As war rugs captured the attention of Western audiences, weavers began creating rugs specifically to be sold to buyers through the souvenir market. In comparison, the two printed maps were produced by European makers for European audiences. These two maps reveal ideas about the East through a Western gaze and, in the case of the Flemish map, provide a visualization for the expansion of European colonial powers in 17th-century Asia.
Each of these maps was made with the intention of being viewed by people outside of the place depicted. Together, they show how cartographic representations of space are intertwined with dynamics of political power. How do these maps influence how you view these places? [Charlotte Smith ’24]
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https://museums.fivecolleges.edu/detail.php?t=objects&type=ext&id_number=MH+2000.489.INV |
