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Article: The mapping of empire: French and British cartographies of India in the late-eighteenth century.
- Article from:
- Portuguese Studies
- Article date:
- January 1, 2000
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2000 Modern Humanities Research Association. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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When I was a little chap I had a passion for maps. I would look for hours at South America, or Africa, or Australia and lose myself in all the glories of exploration. At that time there were many blank spaces on the earth and when I saw one that looked particularly inviting on a map (but they all look that) I would put my finger on it and say: When I grow up I will go there.
(Joseph Conrad, Heart of Darkness)
As Joseph Conrad demonstrates in Heart of Darkness, mapping became one of the most dramatic illustrations of existing imperial power during the heyday of nineteenth-century imperialism. At the same time, maps functioned as a means of preparing an ...