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4 - Useful Geography in Practice

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  27 August 2020

Sophie Brockmann
Affiliation:
De Montfort University, Leicester
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Summary

Chapter 4 shows that tensions about the applicability of knowledge were never more pronounced than when it came to geographical information. The Gazeta newspaper used its networks of knowledge to attempt to create a new ‘Description of Guatemala’ that would not just counter erroneous claims about the Americas peddled by some European philosophers, but also critically examined existing sources and formats of geographical knowledge. They rejected geography as a universal science that related places across the globe to each other, and instead prioritised information from current statistics as well as local historical archives. Individual reformers also contributed even more practical geographies that reported their own experience of travel. Geography and chorography was considered useful only in so far as it would help to increase trade and prosperity. It followed that securing transport connections through road and harbour works that would allow for an exploitation of natural wealth was the most important application of such knowledge. Reformers attempted to rewrite the geography of the Audiencia’s trade routes, and thought of their projects as integrating specific places more firmly into the geography of the region.

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Chapter
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The Science of Useful Nature in Central America
Landscapes, Networks and Practical Enlightenment, 1784–1838
, pp. 120 - 155
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2020

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  • Useful Geography in Practice
  • Sophie Brockmann, De Montfort University, Leicester
  • Book: The Science of Useful Nature in Central America
  • Online publication: 27 August 2020
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781108367615.005
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  • Useful Geography in Practice
  • Sophie Brockmann, De Montfort University, Leicester
  • Book: The Science of Useful Nature in Central America
  • Online publication: 27 August 2020
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781108367615.005
Available formats
×

Save book to Google Drive

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Google Drive.

  • Useful Geography in Practice
  • Sophie Brockmann, De Montfort University, Leicester
  • Book: The Science of Useful Nature in Central America
  • Online publication: 27 August 2020
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781108367615.005
Available formats
×