Category: Blog #5

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Blog #5

Blog #5

I really enjoyed working with StoryMap Js because it allowed me to better visualize the movements of Joseph Lingard throughout his life, in reference to his memoir. These maps not only reveal where Joseph traversed geographically but also reveals the new perspectives that Joseph may have gained in his travels. Specifically, Bodenhamer speaks to this point when he writes, “We see space as the platform for multiplicity, a realm where all perspectives are particular and dependent upon experiences unique to an individual, a community, or a period of time” (Bodenhamer,14). Also, by following where Joesph traveled and physically plotting those points on a map, I was able to gain insight as to not only the final destinations of his travel but was able to see the locations in which he may have also crossed through on his journey. Bodenhamer explains, “[Spaces] are not passive settings but the medium for the development of culture. All spaces contain embedded stories based on what has happened there” (Bodenhamer, 16). Creating the map also helped me to better untangle Joseph’s story and easily follow his movements over an extended period of time, in this case, his entire life. More generally, maps and spatial thinking can help us to untangle history and allow us to better visualize movements over time. I have certainly learned that maps and spatial thinking play a crucial role in sorting out the complexities of history to result in a firm understanding of what actually happened in certain locations.

When creating my own map, I found it difficult. The first challenge was trying to determine what points to plot. I did not think there were many specific locations explicitly mentioned in my memoir. But with a closer reading of my memoir, I was able to extract some locations which I was able to plot. The next challenge was finding a map that included the locations of the places that I desired to plot. After some extensive searching, I was able to locate a map that included almost all of the locations I wanted to plot in the David Rumsey Collection. Then, I was able to pinpoint Joseph’s birthplace, his encounter with Brethren Bohler at Brassington, the Congregation at Fulneck, as well as Dukinfield, where Joseph passes away. As Bodenhamer puts it, “[Mapping] promises an alternate view of history and culture through dynamic representation of memory and place, a view that is visual and experiential, fusing qualitative and quantitative data within real and conceptual space” (Bodenhamer, 29).

I have linked my StoryMap JS here

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Blog #5

Story Map

Mapping and spatial visualization is the convergence between history and geography. These maps revealed the distance traveled by the authors of the memoirs; we get a better picture of their actual journeys. With the spotlight on locations, there was a focus on where these people spent their time. We can use maps and spatial thinking to help us understand the complexities and nuances of history by narrowing in on the location. “Spaces are not simply the setting for historical action but are a significant product and determinant of change.” (Bodenhamer 16) Mapping Esther Latrobe’s memoir revealed more detail about her life’s journey. StoryMap JS helped me “to develop interactive systems, and to explore space and place dynamically- in effect, to create virtual worlds embodying what we know about space and place.” (Bodenhamer 24) Maps are a great visual aid that allows us to  actually see where Esther moved in her life. I can see how far she actually traveled and how close or far away each place was in relation to each other. For example, Tytherton and Gracehill are very far from each other, so I was surprised that Esther didn’t elaborate on her travels. With the lack of airplanes, cars, etc it must have been a long and fascinating journey. Learning more about the places she lived also helped me get a better understanding of her life. She didn’t move around too much, but every significant place she lived in was tied to her faith and the Moravians. I created story points at the four places Esther lived during her life. The first was her birthplace: Bristol, England, which was a bustling port city that thrived from tobacco and the slave trade. Next was Tytherton, England, which was a small town in England founded by Moravians. Next was Gracehill, Ireland, which is a famous Moravian settlement and is known for their school and superior education. And finally there was Ayr, Scotland, which was another prosperous port city. Esther was drawn here because her husband was called to the service of the congregation in Ayr; yet another example of movement due to her Moravian ties. While significant events in her life occurred at all of these places, the places themselves were also growing and changing. “They are not passive settings but the medium for the development of culture. All spaces contain embedded stories based on what has happened there. These stories are both individual and collective, and each of them link geography (space) and history (time).” (Bodenhamer 16) Half of the places Esther lived in were thriving port cities and the other half were very popular and well known amongst her network of people in the Moravian community.

 

[iframe src=”https://uploads.knightlab.com/storymapjs/6540fcc608e11b3a95c6817901262cee/ester-latrobes-life/index.html” frameborder=”0″ width=”100%” height=”800″][/iframe]

 

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Blog #5

Blog #5

I didn’t expect mapping Esther Latrobe’s journey to be as insightful as it turned out to be. For me personally, I know that I have room to grow in the subject matter of geography. I have always had a terrible sense of direction. I also believe that I am not up to speed on geography. I am slowly learning how important and useful knowing the spatial differences between locations is as “we live in a physical world and routinely use spatial concepts of distance and direction to navigate our way through it” (Bodenhamer 14). When I was reading Esther Latrobe’s memoir I found myself reading the location of places she was moving to and leaving from, but never visualizing it. I read the place names and kept reading, not thinking that that would change how I think of Esther’s life. I thought I was close reading however, Storymapping JS gave me a new perspective of how much more I could learn from just a single location. Knowing where these major locations in Esther’s life were gave me a new perspective on how far she was truly traveling. As David Bodenhamer summarizes “human activity is about time and space” therefore using resources to “manage, relate, and query events, as well as to visualize them” is important for many aspects of piecing together history (Bodenhamer 22). I never had a true grasp on her journey until this experience of mapping the physical space.

For my Storymap JS I chose the few places Esther mentioned in her memoir as they all marked important places in her life. Her birth and death marked the start and finish of her journey. The Gracehill and Ayr were two places that Esther moved to on her journey that she spoke highly of in her memoir. There were significant events that all stacked on top of each other to form Esther’s path. These four places were far apart yet all marked important changes in Esther’s life.

After creating my story map I saw the physical space between Tytherton and Gracehill and had a few questions for Esther. I was curious as to why Esther didn’t include more about her journey in her memoir as the distance between these locations was so great. I would expect her to have life altering experiences along the way. The space difference between these two locations is much bigger than I thought from the lack of attention given to this experience in her writing. I now feel like she left parts of her life out of her memoir and there is more to what shaped Esther as an individual.

In general, creating a map can broaden a readers’ perspective. Often times, as I was, readers are more focused on the text rather than the actual location of places. Knowing the specific place at that time period gives plenty of context for the event. For historians this may give reasons and explanations for certain events. If there was tension in a nearby country or with a certain group within a country, at the same time and place, conclusions can be drawn. Piecing together history is much easier when you know the places things happened in relation to others. Bodenhamer summarizes this nicely by saying that landscape of culture and place is a powerful tool in “locating historical and cultural exegesis more explicitly in space and time” (Bodenhamer 28). These tools that allow us to “provide geographical context and depth to an expert interpretation of the past” are extremely useful especially when trying to understand the cause of certain effects (Bodenhamer 28).

[iframe src=”https://uploads.knightlab.com/storymapjs/ba6462a72c3fcb7093a45648ddf37add/latrobe-carly-pavoni/index.html” frameborder=”0″ width=”100%” height=”800″][/iframe]

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Blog #5

Blog #5

The spatial humanities is a new field that combines both humanities and geography with conceptual space. This practice relies heavily on Geographic Information Systems to interpret data. “GIS is a seductive technology, a magic box capable of wondrous feats, and the images it constructs so effortlessly appeal to us in ways more subtle and powerful than words can” (Bodenhamer, p. 17). As consistent with the general theme of this class, the visualization tools that are given through GIS offer easy solutions to interpreting difficult and elongated texts or data. While text will intuitively provide a more thorough understanding of the information, understanding the material in its entirety can become difficult. An overflow of information is, in fact, detrimental towards internalizing the overall message. For this reason, Bodenhamer justifiably supports the use of GIS in the spatial humanities. This reason is that Geographic Information Systems have an “unparalleled ability to manage and visualize data within a spatial context that has led to a rediscovery of the power of the map” (Bodenhamer, p. 17).

Over history, certain places become more important due to the contextual events that are occurring. An individual’s time period within any geographical setting creates certain circumstances that he or she has to deal with. Therefore, the conditions of the environment gravely affect the life that person pursues. For example, consider the case of Esther Latrobe when she moved to Gracehill, Ireland. In the early 1800s, Ireland was experiencing the Evangelical Revival in which this region was 50 years behind the Church of England. As a consequence, society began to see more emphasis on religion. When Latrobe moved to Gracehill in the mid-1820s, she experienced this increased focus on religion. Such influence surely encouraged her to maintain her close relationship with God. A significant point revealed from mapping Latrobe’s memoir was her clear upbringing from high class. Within the few years she lived, Latrobe traveled far distances and visited different countries. Without the current age of airplanes and luxury cruise ships, traveling was no easy feat. Another revelation from the mapping process that can be found is the number of story points at each location. In my personal story map, I entered three points in Gracehill, Ireland. Therefore, it can be correctly inferred that this location was highly significant within Latrobe’s life. Not only did she spend many years teaching at a ladies boarding school there, but she both met and married her husband, James Latrobe, in Gracehill.

“We are inherently spatial beings: we live in a physical world and routinely use spatial concepts of distance and direction to navigate our way through it (Bodenhamer, p. 14). As Bodenhamer believes, space is more than just for historical action. Space is a significant product and determinant of change.

[iframe src=”https://uploads.knightlab.com/storymapjs/9ac892bb38ca23e9f07dee5ffa147b92/latrobes-storymap/index.html” frameborder=”0″ width=”100%” height=”800″][/iframe]