Mapping Transnational (Hi)Stories

Mapping and Visualising Transnational Flows and Connections

A number of our individual research projects share an interest in space and spatial history. Defining transnational history as a way of seeing and a perspective that is interested in people, in nodes and honeycombs (P. Clavin) as well as the flows and connections across borders, raises pressing questions: Where is transnational history? Does transnational history need to rethink spatial issues? What kind of maps and visualisation could be integrated in transnational history – both as a way of analysis as well as narrative and story telling?

It is interesting to see that, over the past ten to fifteen years, an interest in spatial history (spatial turn) as well as in transnational (and global) history has developed almost simultaneously. If we accept that space (Raum / espace) is not simply absolute, a fact or a reality, but a product of social interaction and thus made, this would feed back into the questions raised above.

At the same time, new and previously unprecedented technologies of communication and mapping have become available. By asking: Where is transnational history? How to bring space back in? we seek to address these questions in a loose series of reading group sessions (held at the Centre for Transnational History), small-scale workshops (at St Andrews, in collaboration with GRAINES and beyond) and presentations/panels at a number of conferences.

What we seek to explore across projects ranging from travel activities to the Habsburg Empire (Martin Schaller), global cities (Emma Hart), alpine regions (Jordan Girardin, Dawn Jackson Williams), scientific networks around 1800 (Sarah Easterby-Smith), spatial issues related to national socialism (Riccardo Bavaj) or transnational biographies (Bernhard Struck) are ways to tell these stories through technologies of mapping and visualisation.

In addition to reading groups, active membership within the GRAINES Network, and other types of activities, this project is fuelled by forthcoming conferences and workshops:

– A central conference in June 2014: more info
– A student-led workshop in the late Summer 2014 (details coming up soon)

Resources – Examples – Inspiration – Tools

http://now.uiowa.edu/2013/08/humanities-gone-spatial

http://www.stanford.edu/group/spatialhistory/cgi-bin/site/index.php

http://storymaps.esri.com/home/

http://transnationalhistory.net/mvth/

http://www.businessinsider.com/one-map-that-proves-english-will-never-be-the-official-language-of-the-us-2013-9

http://blogs.hbr.org/2013/09/teaching-and-learning-visualiz/

http://modestmaps.com

http://www.creativebloq.com/design-tools/data-visualization-712402

http://www.gislounge.com/time-and-gis/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/marc_smith/5038683605/