About the book
The nineteenth century was an era of breathtakingly ambitious geographic expeditions across the Americas. The seminal Chorographic Commission of Colombia, which began in 1850 and lasted about a decade, was one of Latin America’s most extensive. The commission’s mandate was to define and map the young republic and its resources with an eye toward modernization. In this history of the commission, Nancy P. Appelbaum focuses on the geographers' fieldwork practices and visual production as the men traversed the mountains, savannahs, and forests of more than thirty provinces in order to delineate the country’s territorial and racial composition. Their assumptions and methods, Appelbaum argues, contributed to a long-lasting national imaginary.
What jumps out of the commission’s array of reports, maps, sketches, and paintings is a portentous tension between the marked differences that appeared before the eyes of the geographers in the field and the visions of sameness to which they aspired. The commissioners and their patrons believed that a prosperous republic required a unified and racially homogeneous population, but the commission’s maps and images paradoxically emphasized diversity and helped create a “country of regions.” By privileging the whiter inhabitants of the cool Andean highlands over those of the boiling tropical lowlands, the commission left a lasting but problematic legacy for today’s Colombians.
Editions of Mapping the Country of Regions
- Hardcover
- ISBN 9781469628936
- Paperback
- ISBN 9781469627441
- EBook
- ISBN 9781469627458
- EBook
- ISBN 9781469627465
- PDF
- ISBN 9798890849168
- PDF
- ISBN 9798890849175
Read an Excerpt
The nineteenth century was an era of breathtakingly ambitious geographic expeditions across the Americas. The seminal Chorographic Commission of Colombia, which began in 1850 and lasted about a decade, was one of Latin America’s most extensive. The commission’s mandate was to define and map the young republic and its resources with an eye toward modernization. In this history of the commission, Nancy P. Appelbaum focuses on the geographers' fieldwork practices and visual production as the men traversed the mountains, savannahs, and forests of more than thirty provinces in order to delineate the country’s territorial and racial composition. Their assumptions and methods, Appelbaum argues, contributed to a long-lasting national imaginary.
What jumps out of the commission’s array of reports, maps, sketches, and paintings is a portentous tension between the marked differences that appeared before the eyes of the geographers in the field and the visions of sameness to which they aspired. The commissioners and their patrons believed that a prosperous republic required a unified and racially homogeneous population, but the commission’s maps and images paradoxically emphasized diversity and helped create a “country of regions.” By privileging the whiter inhabitants of the cool Andean highlands over those of the boiling tropical lowlands, the commission left a lasting but problematic legacy for today’s Colombians.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Mapping the Country of Regions about?
The nineteenth century was an era of breathtakingly ambitious geographic expeditions across the Americas. The seminal Chorographic Commission of Colombia, which began in 1850 and lasted about a decade, was one of Latin America’s most extensive. The commission’s mandate was to define and map the young republic and its resources with an eye toward modernization. In this history of the commission, Nancy P. Appelbaum focuses on the geographers' fieldwork practices and visual production as the men traversed the mountains, savannahs, and forests of more than thirty provinces in order to delineate the country’s territorial and racial composition. Their assumptions and methods, Appelbaum argues, contributed to a long-lasting national imaginary.
What jumps out of the commission’s array of reports, maps, sketches, and paintings is a portentous tension between the marked differences that appeared before the eyes of the geographers in the field and the visions of sameness to which they aspired. The commissioners and their patrons believed that a prosperous republic required a unified and racially homogeneous population, but the commission’s maps and images paradoxically emphasized diversity and helped create a “country of regions.” By privileging the whiter inhabitants of the cool Andean highlands over those of the boiling tropical lowlands, the commission left a lasting but problematic legacy for today’s Colombians.
What core themes, tropes, or subjects are explored in Mapping the Country of Regions?
History and Archaeology > History > History of the Americas
Where can I read a sample of Mapping the Country of Regions?
You can read an official preview of the few pages here https://www.book2look.com/book/9781469628936
How long is Mapping the Country of Regions and how many pages does it have?
Mapping the Country of Regions has 320 page(s)
Who is/are the Author/s of the book Mapping the Country of Regions?
Nancy P. Appelbaum
What are the ISBN numbers for the physical and digital editions?
Mapping the Country of Regions is available as hardcover(ISBN 9781469628936) and paperback(ISBN 9781469627441) and ebook(ISBN 9781469627458) and ebook(ISBN 9781469627465) and pdf(ISBN 9798890849168) and pdf(ISBN 9798890849175)
Where can I buy Mapping the Country of Regions online or support local independent bookshops?
You can buy Mapping the Country of Regions from below
Where can I buy Mapping the Country of Regions?