Historical Geography Research Research Articles

An Anthropogenically Created Landscape as a Habitat for the European Ground Squirrel Population Using the Example of the Muránska Planina National Park in the Western Carpathians (Slovakia)

The main goal of the study, based on historical-geographical research, was to reconstruct the history of an anthropogenically created cultural landscape on the southern edge of the Muránska Planina National Park in the Western Carpathians (Slovakia) as a potential European ground squirrel habitat. Humans began to change the original forest landscape in the second half of the 13th century in connection with the construction of Muráň castle, which became the economic center of the study area. The first written mention of the existence of Muráň castle (castro Muran) dates to 1271. The original deciduous forests were gradually removed and transformed into agricultural land. At the turn of the 14th and 15th centuries, we can almost certainly assume the existence of an agricultural landscape in the territory called Biele Vody (part of the study area) on the right side of the Muránsky Potok valley in such spatial dimensions as it is at present. The landscape created in this way provided suitable ecological conditions for the successful survival of the European ground squirrel (Spermophilus citellus). The analysis and reconstruction of the origins and development of the agricultural landscape were carried out based on detailed archival and terrain research. Map outputs are also the result of the reconstructions. Whether the European ground squirrel was already present in the locality before its conservation translocation (773 individuals were released at the site in 2000–2007) is discussed in detail in this paper. The current ground squirrel colony is dependent on feeding, mainly sunflowers (since 2011), on active management and maintenance of the landscape provided by a herd of donkeys (March–December) and sheep (May–July). The ground squirrel locality Biele Vody is currently a center of ecotourism and ecological education.

Fenced open-fields in mixed-farming systems: spatial organisation and cooperation in southern Sweden during the seventeenth century

The organisation of fields and fences in agriculture that emerged during the Middle Ages and the early modern period was a complex system that combined individual ownership of and communal practices in arable land, meadows and pastures. It was adapted for small and mid-size family-based farming and was a different way to organise agriculture than the medieval estates (demesnes) and the larger coherent fields of the eighteenth century and onwards. The past decade of research in historical geography and economic history has highlighted the origin of this system, which is often referred to as the open-field system; it was open in the sense that it promoted communal farming of primarily arable land. This pre-modern farming system was, however, in many areas a physically closed landscape – a landscape where fences stood out as significant elements. This article investigates the use of fences in a part of early modern western Sweden. The empirical base is a reconstruction of fence-organisations from detailed large-scale maps dating from the mid-seventeenth century. Using historical maps, this study focuses on the collaboration and interaction among farms and settlements. We argue that the open-field system cannot be fully understood without regard to an in-depth analysis of the fences and the institutions holding the complex collaboration together. The occurrence or absence of fences in relation to open-fields involves several questions: What are the characteristics of the fences in the farming systems known as open-field? What can be said about the spatial distributions and connections between the settlements sharing the same open-field? Can agrarian landscapes where fences were prominent elements be considered open-field? The results show that fences appear to be a key factor in understanding settlement patterns and open-fields in Scandinavian regions. A large number of fences created small fenced open-fields. Moreover, the divisions of the arable plots had less importance in the creation of open-fields, which included arable land, meadows and pastures. Instead, cross-settlement collaborations and arrangements are central for the open-fields in the study region. The regional differences within the open-field system provide an understanding of the preconditions and organisation of mixed farming, which combined small-scale arable land cultivation and large-scale pastures.

Аспекты картографии и топонимии культовых сооружений в историко-географической перспективе

Theoretical generalizations and practical results of the application of cartographic and toponymic scientific approaches in historical-geographical studies of religious buildings are presented on the example of three regions located in different natural zones. The evolution of conventional signs of religious buildings on topographic maps is traced, the patterns of motivational mutual influence of toponymy and ecclesionymy are revealed, the problems of the historical-geographical evolution of the Russian North (Arkhangelsk), Central Russia (Tula region) and the Black Sea region (territories of Moldavia and Ukraine) are considered. The evolution of the system of symbols for religious buildings on topographic maps shows how important the confessional features of society are for itself, its spatio-temporal development and the historical-geographical landscapes formed as a result, for cartographic science and its achievements. On the example of studying the history of Arkhangelsk, it is shown that due to the high social importance of the principle of historical-geographical continuity, despite the severe consequences of the atheistic period, not only town planning, but toponymic and religious traditions are preserved and continue to develop, what is reflected in the landscape. The three-versts map of the European part of the Russian Empire serves as a trusted and reliable source of information about the presence and spatial distribution of religious buildings in the middle of the XIX century. It can be successfully used in historical-geographical research, as was done in the case of the Epifansky district of the Tula government. The introduction of information from ancient maps into scientific circulation is the most important method for obtaining the identification and localization of heritage monuments — temples and temple complexes of various regions, which is shown in the case of the Dniester basin. Temples and temple complexes play a significant role in the formation of the toponymic component of the landscape, the study of which contributes to the solution of historical-geographical riddles associated with place names. Cartographic and toponymic approaches give very productive results in solving interdisciplinary scientific problems.

On the Excising of (Urban) Historical Geography from Canadian Geography Departments: A Reflection

Historical geography and urban historical geography barely exist as sub-disciplinary idioms in geography department curricula across Canada. Yes, historical geography research flourishes, but the teaching of historical and urban historical geography has all but vanished, except in a tiny number of larger departments. This article asks why—especially given historical geography’s sub-disciplinary commitment to social and environmental justice. But it also wonders whether this circumstance is lamentable, or simply more of the same: change over time, which historical and urban historical geographers document ceaselessly.

Ephemeral climates: Plato's geographic myths and the phenomenological nature of climate and its changes

Historical and cultural approaches to climate generally consider climate to be a stabilising concept between weather and culture. Different historical and cultural concepts of climate signify different ways of learning to live with the weather. However, anthropogenic climate change evidences the limit of this approach: instead of stabilising, climates ephemeralise together with the ways we have come to adapt to them. Changing climates require a concept of climate that captures how climates are experienced both as stable and ephemeral. To create such a concept, I engage in an exercise of counterfactual etymology, reconstructing the concept of climate that might have emerged from the Ancient Greek term hora as opposed to klima. Central to my re-creation of phenomenological climate are Plato's myths, through which I highlight the methodological kinship between myth and phenomenology. Drawing on a later dialogue, Philebus, I provide an ontological account of climates as both stable and ephemeral. I conclude by situating my approach to climate and its changes in recent work on the relationship between weather and climate, arguing for the necessity of phenomenological climate in order to make sense of what changes with climate change. My turn to Ancient Greek philosophy and its application to the phenomenology of climate and its changes sounds out a novel approach to research in historical geography.

Agricultural Land-Use Changes in the Judean Region from the End of the Ottoman Empire to the End of the British Mandate: A Spatial Analysis

Vines and olives are two important and widespread traditional agricultural crops that are also connected to the Judeo–Christian–Muslim tradition. The goal of the research was to demonstrate the importance of using cartographical sources to obtain a more accurate and complete view of the past. To this end, the aims were: (1) to reconstruct the former agricultural land-use in three periods, 1873–1874, 1917, and 1943–1945; (2) to analyze the different spatial physical factors that could explain the spatial distribution of traditional agricultural landscapes; (3) to identify the changes which took place between the three reconstructed timestamps. The research employed different cartographic sources and the implemented analyses were conducted using GIS tools and methods. The results show that, in the past, the distribution of vines and olive groves greatly depended on several physical geographic factors (climate, slopes, direction). Nonetheless, human factors such as political instability, cultural and religious beliefs contributed as well. Moreover, this research showed how GIS has advanced historical geography research. Lastly, the research demonstrated that obtaining the most complete view of the past can be achieved by a combination of sources together with the use of GIS tools and methods.

Maada'oonidiwag gete-dibaajimowen ("sharing old stories"): reflections on a place-based reparatory research partnership in Nbisiing Anishinaabeg Territory.

In this paper, we reflect on an emerging community-based partnership rooted in place-based reparative research. Braiding knowledges (Atalay, 2012) from Nbisiing Anishinaabeg communities, northern Ontario universities, and multi-scalar museums, the partnership focuses on repatriation, reparative environmental histories, and action-based research in the context of settler colonialism and climate change. We reflect on ongoing projects that attempt to put Anishinaabe gikendaasowin (knowledge) into action alongside historical geographical research. We discuss how the partnership resonates with community geography values of relationship, collaboration, equity, and reciprocity, and urge non-Indigenous geographers to acknowledge how Indigenous knowledges and approaches have shaped these ideas long before geography became a discipline. We contend that historical geographers have a deeper role to play in community geography scholarship, citing examples of two projects related to (1) repatriation of Anishinaabeg cultural heritage and (2) storymapping through historical Geographic Information Systems (HGIS). However, we argue, geographers must continue to acknowledge their own positionality in a discipline that was built through settler colonial violence and knowledge production. Finally, we reflect on the role of academic institutions in facilitating First Nation-university-museum partnerships through access to funding, space, and databases, while addressing the challenges of relying on institutional support for reparatory and decolonizing projects.

Kawahara, N.: Historical Geographical Research of Japanese Fishing Immigrants on the West Coast of Canada before the World War II

Kawahara, N.: Historical Geographical Research of Japanese Fishing Immigrants on the West Coast of Canada before the World War II

On the fiefs of Swedish and Scottish nobility in Ingria during the 1582 – 1589

This article is dedicated to the question of landholdings of the Swedish and Scottish nobility in Ingria during the 1582 – 1589, relying on the documents of compilation “Baltiska fogderäkenskaper”. The relevance of this topic is substantiated by the insufficient study of these sources, both in Russia and abroad, as well as absence of the national toponymic research using these materials. The article also provides a brief biographical description of multiple Swedish and Scottish landholders, the majority of whom are the unknown names in the Russian prosopography The article employs the narrative, historical-comparative, typological, structural, prosopographical methods. All of them underlie the prosopographical and historical-geographical research, which allow determining the particular types of historical figures. The scientific novelty consists in consideration of the problem of formation of landholdings in Ingria during the 1582 – 1589. This question is not covered in modern historiography. The author explores the unique historical, historical-geographical and toponymic material that reveals the prerequisites for the historical, political, economic, territorial and linguistic transformations that found reflection in Ingria of post-Stolbovo period, and established for almost a century. The presented materials are of practical importance for the toponymists and historians dealing with Russia-Sweden relations of the XVI – XVII centuries.

Применение картографических методов в топонимике (история вопроса и современные исследования)

Cartographic methods have been used in toponymic research for many decades. The importance of these methods was noted by the founders of fundamental place-name study. This field keeps developing actively despite the considerable methodological complexity and labor intensity. Modern technologies in cartography make it possible to bring the scale and intensity of toponymic research to a new level, to solve problems that have long been identified in science. This further increases the relevance of toponymic mapping and the active introduction of other techniques into the practice of both local and regional toponymic research. The article presents the experience of creating regional toponymic maps and atlases, the general methodology and specific methodological developments of the authors in this field. The article provides examples of the latest practices of applying cartographic methods in domestic onomastics. The article presents the results of a poly-scale toponymic research in historical geography, based on the techniques of toponymic mapping in order to solve historic-geographical problems, and historic-cartographical analysis, aimed at solving toponymic problems. The geographical names of the Russian Plain and the Black Sea region serves as a rich factual data for the analysis of specific toponyms evolution. Historic-cartographical research provides invaluable data for place-name study, contributing to scientific advancement in related disciplines. Old maps serve as the most important sources of knowledge about toponymy and the formation of geographical representations in different eras. Place names are an integral part of the intangible cultural heritage, one of the most enduring and at the same time fragile. The modern desire to standardize toponymy at the national and international levels comes into conflict with the tasks of its preservation in the context of the protection of ethnocultural diversity.

The relationship of language and spatial identity in historical geography research: a review of (multi)disciplinary approaches

Language use and spatial identity research are topics of interest in linguistics, geography, anthropology, ethnology, sociology, psychology, and philosophy. Accordingly, there are numerous related terms that originated in one discipline but are also used in other disciplines, making them multi-disciplinary. Research on terminology in the field of language use has shown great diversity (linguistic geography, areal or spatial linguistics, linguistic geography, the geography of language, geolinguistics). The paper analyzes and defines the aforementioned concepts, their connection with individual disciplines, and discusses individual terminological shortcomings. The aim of this paper is to review the field of research regarding the use of language and spatial identity in a broader sense, and especially the position of and approaches to research within historical geography. The paper analyzes a sample of 124 articles (published mainly in Croatian and English) according to author(s), research objective, methodology, and period of publication. Based on this, three characteristic periods during which research developed and changed have been distinguished.

Between the layers of the palimpsest: Historical geographical research of changes in functions of small water reservoirs on the case study of the town of Čáslav (Czechia)

Small water reservoirs have represented an important water feature of the Central European landscape since the Middle Ages. In our study, we focused on researching the historical functions of those reservoirs and their changes through time. We recorded 169 mentions to the functions of selected ponds in the selected four historical reservoirs around the town of Čáslav (Central Bohemia Region), using a combination of written, cartographic, and iconographic archival sources. Fish-related production functions were most frequently mentioned. However, others were also important mainly for the development of the town – the accumulation of water for the needs of mills and industry, and the supply of the city population through the historical aquifers from these reservoirs. They often served as recreational areas for residents. Our research pointed to the multifunctionality of small water reservoirs and the fact that the change of the main functions was mainly related to the change in the owner of the reservoir.

Nieuw-Roeselare – landscape archaeological and historical geographical research on deserted medieval settlements in the borderlands of Flanders and Zealand

Abstract This paper offers an introduction to the renewed landscape archaeological and historical geographical research on the lost village of Nieuw-Roeselare. Despite being the first site to be studied as a Deserted Medieval Settlement in modern-day Flanders, little is known about the village and its relation to the surrounding landscape. Nieuw-Roeselare is presented as a case study on lost and deserted medieval settlements in the context of the research history on the topic in both Flanders and Zealand. Past historical geographical and archaeological research at the site is described and the ongoing and future research is presented along with its potential for landscape studies and planning.

Using Local Toponyms to Reconstruct the Historical River Networks in Hubei Province, China

As an important data source for historical geography research, toponyms reflect the human activities and natural landscapes within a certain area and time period. In this paper, a novel quantitative method of reconstructing historical river networks using toponyms with the characteristics of water and direction is proposed. It is suitable for the study area which possesses rich water resources. To reconstruct the historical shape of the river network, (1) water-related toponyms and direction-related toponyms are extracted as two datasets based on the key words in each village toponym; (2) the feasibility of the river network reconstruction based on these toponyms is validated via a quantitative analysis, according to the spatial distributions of toponyms and rivers; (3) the reconstructed historical shape of the river network can be obtained via qualitative knowledge and geometrical analysis; and (4) the reconstructed rivers are visualized to display their general historical trends and shapes. The results of this paper demonstrate the global correlation and local differences between the toponyms and the river network. The historical river dynamics are revealed and can be proven by ancient maps and local chronicles. The proposed method provides a novel way to reconstruct historical river network shapes using toponym datasets.

Spaces, Places, Features and Units: Web-Enabling Historical Geography

Although the UK research assessment system initially mainly prioritised traditional academic outputs, more recently it has also promoted non-academic impact and engagement, which historical geography research is well suited to achieving provided detailed local knowledge can be widely disseminated, only possible via the world wide web. However, this is best done not via online GIS (geographical information systems) but through geo-semantic systems, supporting web pages about named entities linked by explicit relationships. Although the resulting systems are in some senses gazetteers, they differ from most existing gazetteers by focusing not on landscape features but on administrative units defined in law, and on “places” which are defined through the study of place naming. The final section of the paper briefly describes the Great Britain historical GIS and the web site based on it, A Vision of Britain through Time, and then presents data on how it performs in placename-based Google searches.

Alan R. H. Baker, A French reading revolution? The Development, Distribution and Cultural Significance of Bibliothèques populaires, 1860-1890, Cambridge, Historical Geography research group, 2018

Alan R. H. Baker, A French reading revolution? The Development, Distribution and Cultural Significance of Bibliothèques populaires, 1860-1890, Cambridge, Historical Geography research group, 2018

Materialities and historical geographies: An introduction

While (historical) geographers are now increasingly engaging with material things and approaches, there has been little debate about the role and place of material sources and methodologies within historical geography research. This special section of Area draws together five papers in which historical geographers explore material sources and the application of material approaches in order to make conceptual, methodological and empirical contributions to (historical) geography. These papers demonstrate the potential range of possibilities available to geographers (historical or not) attuned to the materiality of space and encourage further discussion about the relationship between material cultures and geographical research. This introductory editorial outlines the impetus for this special section. It reflects on how material culture has already been used within geographical research, considers why there is a need to debate (specifically historical) geographers’ engagement with materiality in greater depth, and suggests some ways in which the papers in this special section have already contributed to this debate.

Central European Conference of Historical Geographers, Historical Geography Research Centre, Institute of History, Czech Academy of Sciences, Faculty of Science of Charles University in Prague, Section for Historical Geography and Environmental History of the Czech Geographical Society, Prag, Češka, 31. kolovoza – 2. rujna 2016.

Od 31. kolovoza do 2. rujna 2016. Karlovo sveuciliste u Pragu bilo je domacinom međunarodne znanstvene konferencije Central European Conference of Historical Geographers (CECHG 2016). Konferencija kojoj su u fokusu bile teme vezane uz suvremena znanstvena postignuca na polju historijske geografije i srodnih disciplina, održana je u organizaciji nekoliko uglednih ceskih znanstvenih institucija – Centra za istraživanje povijesne geografije, Instituta za povijest, Ceske akadamije znanosti, Fakulteta znanosti Karlovog sveucilista u Pragu te Odsjeka za povijesnu geografiju i povijest okolisa pri Ceskom geografskom drustvu. Trodnevni znanstveni program ukljucivao je izlaganja sudionika putem prezentacija i postera koja su organizirana u paralelnim sesijama tijekom citavog trajanja konferencije, te dva pozvana predavanja održana drugog dana programa – „Europe’s cultural diversity as a problem for European integration“ profesora Petera Jordana s Austrijske akademije znanosti, te „Strategies to ‘survive’ as Historical Geographer in Germany after the scientific turn of geography in the late 1970s“ koje je održao profesor Winifried Schenk sa Sveucilista u Bonnu u Njemackoj. Od izlaganja sudionika tijekom prvog dana programa u okvirima sest sesija, vrijedi istaknuti ona u sklopu sesije „Place Identity in Medieval Geographical Names“, posebice izlaganje Irine Konovalove o opcim konceptima i trendovima na polju proucavanja prostornih identiteta („Place identity and imaginary geography“), te izlaganje o hidronimima u staroj skandinavskoj literaturi („Opening up new lands of waters: Names of the White and Baltic Seas in the old Sandinavian literature“) koje je održala Tatjana N. Jackson. Također, mnogo zanimanja privukla je i sesija „Geographical Names: Values & Meanings“ u sklopu koje su, uz ostalo, sudionici mogli cuti izlaganja o hodonimima (nazivima ulica i trgova) na primjeru sest razlicitih gradova u Poljskoj (L. Przybylska), te o tematizaciji osobnih imena u putopisnoj literaturi o bivsem SSSR-u (J. David, J. Davidova). Drugog dana programa mnogo zanimanja izazvala je sesija o povijesti prirodnih prijetnji te njihovoj povezanosti s trenutacnim trendovima na podrucju smanjivanja rizika („Research on Historical Natural Hazards and its Relevance for Current Risk Reduction“), posebice izlaganje o rekonstrukciji događaja i posljedica poplave iz 1714. (L. Elleder, J. Krejci, J. Sirova) te o povijesnim zapisima o klizistima na podrucju ceskih Karpata (M. Bil, M. Bilova, J. Sedonik, J. Kubecek), te paralelne sesije o geografiji religija i „historijskom“ GIS-u. Konferenciji je nazocio doc. dr. sc. Branimir Vukosav s Odjela za geografiju Sveucilista u Zadru koji je tijekom trecega i posljednjega dana programa, u sklopu sesije o institucionalizaciji pogranicnih regija, izložio temu „Contesting regional identities in the historical context of the borderlands“ u suautorstvu s prof. dr. sc. Bornom Fuerst-Bjelis s Geografskog odsjeka PMF-a Sveucilista u Zagrebu. U okvirima iste sesije valja spomenuti i vrlo zanimljiva predavanja o institucionalizaciji svedsko-ruske granice 1743. (J. Merouvo) te o povijesnoj institucionalizaciji vezanoj uz katalonski separatizam u Spanjolskoj (M. Lepic). Vrijedi dodati i da je u sklopu službenog programa konferencije otvorena izložba pod nazivom „Regions through space and time“. Izložbom je predstavljen dio tema i tekucih istraživackih projekata praskog Centra za istraživanje historijske geografije u okvirima suvremenog razumijevanja regije kao kljucnoga geografskog koncepta te njezinih razlicitih oblika, znacenja i važnosti u danasnjem svijetu.

Kształtowanie ładu przestrzennego jako zadanie badawcze geografii historycznej

W opracowaniu sformułowano tezę o potrzebie zwrotu geografii historycznej ku zagadnieniom aplikacyjnym i wskazano ład przestrzenny jako potencjalne zadanie badawcze tej dyscypliny naukowej. W tekście omówione zostały wybrane zagadnienia teoretyczno-metodologiczne geografii historycznej, m.in. jej istota, źródła i przedmiot oraz różnice między tradycjami geograficzną a historyczną. W kontekście geografii historycznej omówiono pojęcie ładu przestrzennego, jego źródła i problemy, a także jego związek z ideą krajobrazu. Na zakończenie sformułowano wnioski dotyczące możliwości stosowania wyników badań geografii historycznej w procesie kształtowania ładu przestrzennego.

Participation, archival activism and learning to learn

This paper provides a perspective on participatory historical geography from Canada where historical geographers have engaged in the struggle for Aboriginal rights and recently have provided some insightful critiques of participatory research. It begins to contextualise various approaches to ‘historical geography at large’ over the years, underlining the complexities of research relations. The piece concludes by highlighting, in particular, some of the participatory activism of graduate students doing research in historical geography.