Historical geography 2008—2009: Mundus alter et idem

Abstract

The 400th anniversary of the English translation of Joseph Halls’ humanist geographical tract, Mundus alter et idem, is used as the springboard for an analysis of current research in historical geography organized around three themes: new discoveries in the history of geography; the fascination with the cold worlds of the polar regions; and the resurgent centrality of maps and images to the practice of historical geography. Despite pressures to conform to a ‘big science’ model, current work suggests the vibrancy of a humanist conception of historical geography, and makes the subdiscipline an inheritor of Joseph Hall’s vision.