Maps
Maps are often a reflection of power and hierarchy, in that they impose a particular--sometimes distorted--vision on the world. Cartographic images have had an intimate connection with European colonialism, evidenced in part by the eagerness of colonizers to distribute maps and geography textbooks around the world. But maps can also be used to assert local knowledge--for instance, in the case of a black teacher in post-emancipation Jamaica who made a map of the island featuring the area controlled by the Maroons, a group of indigenous people and former slaves who fought against colonial rule in the eighteenth century. Additionally, they can be used to chart connections across geographical space, illustrating cultural differences and shared experiences. Aware of these potentials and problems, the creators of the Round the Globe project have used Google Maps to visualize the global spread of children's literature, focusing on patterns of circulation, modes of travel, and means of distribution. Each map features a pull-out sidebar legend that allows users to see groupings of texts. Hovering on points yields bibliographical information and circulation data.
Pictured text is a foldout map of The World from J. Goldsmith's A Grammar of General Geography (1819). This book was a fixture in the bookshop of Henry James Mills in Port of Spain, Trinidad--and also circulated to other islands.