Post-colonial national atlases – celebrating independence or sustaining colonial structures?

Summary

The collapse of colonial empires after WWII led to the independence of 50 colonies by 1970, yet newly formed states often inherited former colonial administrative or demarcation boundaries, complicating nation-building and triggering numerous post-colonial civil wars. This paper employs a systematic multilevel analysis to compare the visualization modes, map language elements, narrative structures, and production processes of initial post-colonial national atlases, contrasting them with pre-independence atlases produced by colonial powers and with new editions published 25+ years after sovereignty. It unveils colonial and post-colonial narratives and explores different notions of the term "nation" as inclusive or exclusive constructions. The research shows that 80% of post-colonial states produced national atlases, often aimed at forging national identity and coherence.