Mapping metadata – a high-level approach to early modern island discourses
In this short blog post, I would like to present metadata mapping as a valuable approach to analysing historical discourses from a bird’s eye view. As publication metadata mainly includes places of publication and information on authors, translators, publishers, and printers, they are a rich source for the reconstruction of communication networks and the dissemination of ideas. In my research on German perceptions of early modern European island regions, I use publication metadata of maps, dictionaries, periodicals, and other island-related works to track general trends in 17th- to 18th-century engagement with islands.
Use case 1: translation cultures
My first use case is to map places where relevant works were translated to and from different languages. The map below highlights places in Europe where works on islands were translated into German (green) or French (orange). It is important to note that – apart from places further west – most publication places saw the production of translations into both languages. Further comparative mapping of translation places relating to other languages such as Latin, Italian, Spanish or Swedish can contribute to a better understanding of international markets and multi-linguality in early modern island exchanges.
Use case 2: media genres and media markets
The second map combines three informational layers:
- a) places where German-born cartographers produced island maps in the 18th century (green)
- b) places where the famous Nürnberg cartography firm Homann sold island maps in the 18th century (blue)
- c) publication places of German (geography) periodicals that featured articles on islands in the 18th century (pink)
This form of comparative mapping can, on the one hand, help us identify centres of general or genre-specific publication hotspots and, on the other hand, make outliers visible. The Homann trade network, for instance, expanded surprisingly far north to Scandinavia and comparatively far to the east. It will be a matter of further research to combine spatial distributions with topics and to find out if prominent places of publication were, at the same time, prominent places of trade and other more immediate interactions with the island regions covered.
OpenEdition suggests that you cite this post as follows:
Monika Barget (December 12, 2022). Mapping metadata – a high-level approach to early modern island discourses. INSULAE. Retrieved February 6, 2025 from https://doi.org/10.58079/qd95