With apologies - wrong calendar! I meant to say that this talk is on Tuesday 17 January 2006.
-----Original Message-----
From: A forum for issues related to map & spatial data librarianship
[mailto:[log in to unmask]]On Behalf Of Fleet, Christopher
Sent: 09 January 2006 10:14
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Forthcoming talk: Mungo Park and the mapping of the Niger
[posted to MapHist and lis-maps - please excuse duplication]
Mungo Park and the mapping of the Niger
**************************************
An Illustrated Bicentenary Lecture by Professor Charles Withers, Professor of Historical Geography, University of Edinburgh.
On Tuesday 17 January, 7 pm at the
National Library of Scotland
George IV Bridge
Edinburgh
EH1 1EW
Scotland.
Events at the National Library are free, but places are limited, so please book through:
Events Line: +44 (0)131 623 3845
or Email: [log in to unmask]
---
January 2006 marks the bicentenary of the death on the Niger River in West Africa of Mungo Park, the Selkirk-born explorer. Park rose to fame in the late 1790s by solving the first part of the 2,000-year-old Niger question - which way did the river run? He died (in circumstances which are still unclear) attempting to solve the second part of the Niger question - where did the river end?
Park is remembered as a significant geographical figure, a 'local hero' to nineteenth-century Scottish Borders folk, an explorer and civilising figure to others. His 1799 book, 'Travels in the Interior Districts of Africa', remains in print. A statue of him was erected to his memory, his family's cottage has been restored, numerous biographies have assessed his work, a film was even made retracing his steps. In these and other ways, Park is remembered still. But we may be commemorating him unjustly. For by the time Park set out on his second expedition, the remaining Niger question had been solved by others. Remembered they certainly are, but were Park's achievements really that noteworthy?
In an illustrated talk to be given as part of the National Library of Scotland's Cultural Programme Series, Professor Charles Withers, professor of historical geography at the University of Edinburgh, will examine Park's Niger travels, Park's books and the continuing commemoration of him. Park, it will be argued, deserves our attention still but only as part of a bigger and more complicated story about geography, exploration and the power of maps.
---
Chris Fleet
Deputy Map Curator
National Library of Scotland
33 Salisbury Place
EDINBURGH
EH9 1SL
United Kingdom.
Tel. 0131 623 3973
Fax. 0131 623 3971
E-mail: [log in to unmask]
View maps website: http://www.nls.uk/maps
*******************************************************************
Visit the National Library of Scotland online at www.nls.uk
*******************************************************************
This communication is intended for the addressee(s) only. If you
are not the intended recipient, please notify the ICT Helpdesk on
+44 131 623 3789 or [log in to unmask] and delete this e-mail. The
statements and opinions expressed in this message are those of the
author and do not necessarily reflect those of the National Library of
Scotland. This message is subject to the Data Protection Act 1998
and Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002 and has been
scanned by MessageLabs.
*******************************************************************
|