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Periodical article Periodical article Leiden University catalogue Leiden University catalogue WorldCat catalogue WorldCat
Title:Transcultural aspects of exploring and mapping South West Africa between 1850 and 1914
Authors:Voigt, Isabel
Fritsch, Kathrin
Year:2011
Periodical:Journal of Namibian Studies (ISSN 1863-5954)
Issue:9
Pages:61-83
Language:English
Geographic term:Namibia
Subjects:cartography
culture contact
Abstract:This article examines the hybrid nature of the exploration of South West Africa in the second half of the 19th century and in the early colonial period with the help of two case studies based on printed as well as archival source material. Both examples concentrate on the northern parts of what is present-day Namibia, since they eluded the mapping process and thus colonial control for a long time. The early exploration and mapping of the Cunene River in the 1850s and 1860s reveals different aspects of European and African spatial knowledge, miscommunication and contested resources. By the turn of the century, modes of travel writing changed in the course of scientific professionalization so that descriptions of transcultural encounters gave way to more academic topics. However, as Franz Seiner's journey to the Caprivi Strip in the early years of the 20th century demonstrates, modes of mapping remained similar and still yielded insights into geographical knowledge making as a process involving interaction between Africans and Europeans. Bibliogr., notes, ref., sum. [Journal abstract]
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