The Cartography of Capitalism: Cartographic Evidence for the Emergence of The
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THE CARTOGRAPHY OF CAPITALISM: CARTOGRAPHIC EVIDENCE FOR THE EMERGENCE OF THE CAPITALIST WORLD-SYSTEM IN EARLY MODERN EUROPE A Dissertation by THOMAS MCCALL WOODFIN Submitted to the Office of Graduate Studies of Texas A&M University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY December 2007 Major Subject: Geography THE CARTOGRAPHY OF CAPITALISM: CARTOGRAPHIC EVIDENCE FOR THE EMERGENCE OF THE CAPITALIST WORLD-SYSTEM IN EARLY MODERN EUROPE A Dissertation by THOMAS MCCALL WOODFIN Submitted to the Office of Graduate Studies of Texas A&M University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY Approved by: Chair of Committee, Peter J. Hugill Committee Members, Robert S. Bednarz Jonathan M. Smith Chester S. Dunning Head of Department, Douglas J. Sherman December 2007 Major Subject: Geography iii ABSTRACT The Cartography of Capitalism: Cartographic Evidence for the Emergence of the Capitalist World-System in Early Modern Europe. (December 2007) Thomas McCall Woodfin, B.S., Texas A&M University; M.L.A., Harvard University Chair of Advisory Committee: Dr. Peter J. Hugill The economic competition between the Netherlands, France and England is documented in the atlases published in Amsterdam, Paris and London between 1500 and 1800. However, the relationship between mapping and economic processes remains mostly unexplored in the history of cartography. World-system theory has application to the history of cartography in the early modern period for identifying the linkages between cartography and long-term economic processes.This research analyzes the production of maps, specifically in world and maritime atlases, in these three cities as the geographic expression of the emergent capitalist world system in early modern Europe. The economic concepts of core and periphery as proposed by Immanuel Wallerstein are defined cartographically in the structural morphologies of Dutch, French and English atlases published in this period. Each country mapped itself as a core and such cartographic self-definitions reflect their individual geographic and economic contexts. The Netherlands and England created core atlases in the sixteenth century that evolved in support of business and transport as well as state interests. The French core atlas initiated at the end of the seventeenth century was a governmentally sponsored survey dedicated primarily toward state administration control. iv The Netherlands, Fance and England also mapped their continental and extra- European peripheries in world and maritime atlases. Dutch engagement in long-distance trade in agricultural commodities created world-system commodity chains of production. Dutch maritime atlases defined these networks of commercial opportunity for the first time. The creators of the first printed world atlases, Dutch cartographers also structured their productions of atlases as a commercial enterprise marketed toward an international clientele. Dutch maritime atlases were an important innovation and Amsterdam atlas publication dominated cartography in the seventeenth century. English publishers adopted Dutch innovations in map production and succeeded to dominance in printing atlases whose structural morphology embodies a world-system of commodity networks. The relationship of cartography to long-term economic processes is demonstrated by the Dutch and English atlases. Early modern world atlases portray the cartographic world-view of core and periphery. The maritime atlases provide the first portrayal of long-distance trade networks that continue to characterize the capitalist exchange of commodities globally. v ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would like to expression my appreciation to my committee chair, Dr. Hugill, and my committee members, Dr. Bednarz, Dr. Smith, and Dr. Dunning, for their patience and support throughout the course of this research. I thank Dr. Hugill for his inspiration in introducing me to the concepts of the capitalist world-system and Dr. Dunning for his insistence that I understand the history behind the evidence being discovered. The patient staff at the Newberry Library, Chicago and the Center for Southwestern Studies and the History of Cartography at the University of Texas at Arlington guided my many hours pouring over leather-bound seventeenth and eighteenth-century atlases. To my colleagues who voiced support despite their doubts that this would ever be completed, your offers of assistance were appreciated. Thanks to my mother for her continued faith that her favorite son could accomplish this. Finally, and most importantly, my heartfelt thanks to my wonderful wife who never stopped believing that I could do this and whose love and support made this possible. vi TABLE OF CONTENTS Page ABSTRACT ...................................................................................................................... iii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS.................................................................................................v LIST OF FIGURES ........................................................................................................... ix LIST OF TABLES...............................................................................................................x CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION AND LITERATURE REVIEW.....................................1 Cartography and Economic History........................................................................ 2 Theoretical Aspects in the History of Cartography .............................................. 12 A World System Approach to the History of Cartography................................... 16 Cartography as a Leading Indicator of Economic Growth ................................... 23 CHAPTER II DATASET OUTLINE: SEEING THE FOREST FOR THE TREES .......29 Atlases as an Analytical Research Tool................................................................ 29 Definition of an Atlas............................................................................................ 34 Attributes of Atlases ............................................................................................. 36 Map dominance......................................................................................... 36 Stylistic integrity....................................................................................... 37 Modes of coherence .................................................................................. 38 Structural morphology .............................................................................. 38 Types of atlas maps................................................................................... 40 Technical Characteristics and Nomenclature for Early Modern Atlases.............. 42 Bibliographic Resources ....................................................................................... 45 Bibliotheque Nationale, Paris ................................................................... 45 Cornelis Koeman’s Atlantes neerlandici .................................................. 46 Abraham Ortelius’ Teatrum orbis terrarum ............................................. 47 On-line map collections ............................................................................ 48 U.S. Library of Congress .......................................................................... 49 British Library Map Library ..................................................................... 51 Creating an Atlas Dataset for Analysis................................................................. 52 British Library Map Library CD-ROM, 1998 .......................................... 53 Rodney Shirley: Maps in the Atlases of the British Library..................... 60 Comparability of MABL Dataset with Other Atlas Collations ............................ 71 vii Page CHAPTER III CARTOGRAPHIC SELF-DEFINITION OF THE CORE ......................75 Individual Geographic Contexts ........................................................................... 77 Capital Core Cities and Trade Potential................................................................ 84 Dutch Core............................................................................................................ 87 Maps of the Dutch core in regional atlases............................................... 94 Polder atlases .......................................................................................... 100 Conclusions to Dutch core...................................................................... 100 The French Core ................................................................................................. 102 The Cassini survey of France.................................................................. 118 Conclusions to the French core............................................................... 121 The English Core ................................................................................................ 123 Conclusions to the English core.............................................................. 135 Summary to Mapping the Core........................................................................... 136 CHAPTER IV CORES MAP THE TERRESTRIAL PERIPHERY ..............................139 World-System Definition of Periphery............................................................... 139 Trade networks as periphery................................................................... 146 Periphery in world atlases......................................................................