Histories of Cartography

Summary

This article traces the evolution of the field of map history after 1900 in terms of its institutional and conceptual transformations, revealing a complex trajectory from the traditional paradigm through the internal, sociocultural, and processual paradigms. It argues that map history has never constituted a single intellectual endeavor but rather multiple, overlapping histories of cartography. The traditional paradigm, rooted in the nineteenth-century idealization of cartography as a universal science, emphasized empiricist narratives of cartographic progress, with practices centered on regional cartobibliography and antiquarian map collecting. The internal paradigm shifted focus to the practices of mapmaking itself, seeking disciplinary autonomy through professional survey histories and technical studies. The sociocultural paradigm, emerging after 1980 under the influence of critical theory, treated maps as products of social power and knowledge, emphasizing their social constructedness. However, this paradigm also faced fragmentation. The article concludes by proposing a processual paradigm as a potential comprehensive framework, one that attends to the various processes of map production, circulation, and consumption. Drawing on institutional changes, paradigm shifts, and contributions of key figures such as Harley and Woodward, the article maps the dynamic landscape of the discipline in the twentieth century.