THE HYDROGRAPHY OF CAMBODIA IN EARLY MODERN PORTUGUESE TEXTUAL AND CARTOGRAPHIC SOURCES近代葡國文獻中的柬埔寨水文學及制圖學之來源
The article argues that European knowledge of the hydrography of Cambodia in the Early Modern period was constructed, between the 16th and early 17th centuries, from a network of Portuguese mediations—articulating navigation accounts, administrative reports, and cartographic practices—that gradually...
Saved in:
| Published in: | Review of Culture |
|---|---|
| Main Author: | |
| Format: | Articles |
| Published: |
Instituto Cultural de Macau
April 2007
|
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.icm.gov.mo/rc/viewer/pdfViewerParts/40022/3718 |
| Summary: | The article argues that European knowledge of the hydrography of Cambodia in the Early Modern period was constructed, between the 16th and early 17th centuries, from a network of Portuguese mediations—articulating navigation accounts, administrative reports, and cartographic practices—that gradually replaced more speculative images inherited from earlier learned traditions. Based on a historiographic analysis of textual and cartographic sources produced under Portuguese influence, the author reconstructs the ways in which rivers, coasts, and fluvial communication systems were described, prioritized, and mapped for purposes of trade, navigation, and politico-military projection within the scope of the Estado da Índia. The methodology relies on a comparative critical reading of descriptions and maps, identifying continuities, reformulations, and levels of accuracy, as well as the contexts of circulation of these materials (manuscript and printed) in Lisbon and in the European sphere. As results, the article shows that Cambodian "hydrography" in Portuguese materials is not merely a reflection of the terrain, but also a product of concrete informational needs and institutional frameworks. It concludes that Portuguese cartography and writing played a decisive role in the transition from symbolic representations to more operationalizable representations of Southeast Asia, producing lasting effects on the European perception of Cambodia. |
|---|---|
| ISSN: | 1682-1106 |