The Rylands Lunchtime Seminar Series: Maps and Magic in the Manchester Geographical Society Collections
Dates: | 3 March 2022 |
Times: | 12:00 - 13:00 |
What is it: | Seminar |
Organiser: | John Rylands Research Institute and Library |
How much: | Free |
Who is it for: | Adults, Alumni, General public |
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Join us for an online lunchtime seminar uncovering contrasting sides of Victorian exploration. Brian Wallace and Donna Sherman (curator of the map collection at University of Manchester) will examine maps from the Manchester Geographical Society collection
The seminar will consider how scientific efforts to map uncharted regions of Africa for commercial and political gain, and the popular ‘techno-magical’ narratives of unfamiliar technologies being mistaken for magic which grew up around these expeditions. Donna Sherman will provide a brief history of the Manchester Geographical Society, its impact on teaching at the university and its connections with the explorer Henry Morton Stanley. Leverhulme Early Career Fellow Brian Wallace will discuss how the expeditions of imperial agents like Stanley gave rise to self-aggrandising stories of newly-contacted African peoples mistaking Western technologies for sorcery.
This is an online event that will take place via Zoom. Book your free place here: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/maps-and-magic-in-the-manchester-geographical-society-collections-tickets-257901730017
This event is part of a live, online lunchtime seminar series. University of Manchester researchers team up with experts from the Rylands to share current research activities. The seminars will showcase rare and fascinating objects from the special collections, along with discoveries and new perspectives formed through their study. Attendees will be invited to participate with questions and thoughts during the live Q&A.
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