chapter 4

炸鱼饼

Reading Time:
40 minutes
Reading Task:
To explore how digital mapping and Geographic Information Systems (GIS) are applied in historical and literary research, creating the field of "spatial humanities."
Summary of the Content:
This chapter focuses on the "spatial turn" in the humanities, facilitated by digital mapping technologies. It argues that space is not just a backdrop for historical or narrative events but an active element that shapes them.
The author introduces key concepts in spatial humanities, such as deep mapping (which integrates time, narrative, and layers of data onto a spatial platform) and georeferencing (linking historical maps to modern coordinates).
Practical applications are discussed, showing how GIS can be used to visualize trade routes, track the movement of historical figures, map the settings of literary works, or analyze the demographic changes in a city over centuries.
The chapter also critically addresses the challenges of projecting historical or fictional places onto modern maps and the potential oversimplification of complex social relations into mere data points on a map.
Case Analysis:
The Roma Caput Mundi Project: This project uses GIS to map the urban development of Rome across different historical periods. It allows researchers to layer information about architecture, infrastructure, and social life, providing a dynamic, visual understanding of how the city evolved and how space was used and perceived by its inhabitants.
Reflection:
The most significant insight for me was how digital maps can make abstract historical descriptions or literary settings tangibly visible, fostering a more intuitive understanding.
However, the chapter also prompted me to think about what gets lost when we represent human experience through coordinates and polygons. Can a map truly capture the "sense of place" or the emotional significance of a location described in a novel? This methodology powerfully reveals patterns but may flatten subjective experience.