The 29th International Conference on the History of Cartography, Bucharest, Romania, 4–8 July 2022

Abstract

If there is a word to describe the organization (and celebration) of the 29th International Conference on the History of Cartography, held in Bucharest from 4 to 8 July 2022 and entitled ‘Conflict & Cartography’, it is challenging. The strange times we are living through, with a global corona-virus pandemic that necessitated the postponement of the celebration of ICHC from 2021 and a war in Ukraine that is deeply affecting neighbouring Romania, made this occasion a particularly difficult undertaking. Everysingleperson involved in theconference(organizations, speakers, partners, attendees, institutions) had to adapt to a new reality of great complexity, marked by the uncertainty of the times. Nevertheless, the admirable efforts and resilience of the organizing committee, formed by Cristina Toma (National Museum of Maps and Old Books, and ICHC 2022 Conference Director), Florentina Nitu̧ (University of Bucharest) and Marian Coman (University of Bucharest), among all the other people and institutions that made the conference possible, resulted in a deeply engaging event, full of exciting, innovative and transcultural approaches to the history of cartography. One of the main features of ICHC 2022 was its hybrid format, with about half of the participants attending (and contributing) online. Specifically, after a few last minute changes, 48 attendees participated in person, while 44 did it remotely. Concerning the poster session, most of the contributors presented their work online. This hybrid format has advantages and disadvantages. On one hand, the lower than usual in-person attendance allowed what Wouter Bracke, Chairman of Imago Mundi Ltd., called in the closing ceremony a smaller, less frustrating and less overwhelming event. Those attending on site were permitted a closer interaction among the participants and a more natural interchange of ideas, experiences and approaches, while interested scholars from all over the world were able to join the conference online and actively participate in it. On the other hand, remote attendance entailed the risk of technical problems that occasionally disrupted an otherwise relaxed celebration of the event. Unfortunately some talks had to be rescheduled, or even cancelled, owing to technical problems. Be that as it may, the herculean efforts of the conference staff to try to avoid those issues and to facilitate a comfortable, dynamic event, both from a human and a technical point of view, were both undeniable and admirable. Apart from the main theme, Conflict & Cartography, a clear connecting thread ran through the whole event, that of a transcultural approach to the history of cartography. In several of the fourteen panels included in the programme, we could see an interest in addressing different cultural traditions, sometimes interconnected in a dialogue of references, influences and methods of transmission. Thus, after the opening ceremony, held in the amphitheatre of the Romanian Academy Library, which included the addresses of Cristina Toma (ICHC 2022 Director), Alfred Hiatt (Secretary of ImagoMundi Ltd.),Marian Preda (Rector of theUniversity of Bucharest) andMarian Coman (University of Bucharest, and member of the Organizing Committee), the conference began with its first keynote lecture, given by Pinar Emiralioğlu, who talked about cartographical knowledge and its imperial connections in the context of the early-modern Ottoman Empire. It was a fascinating lecture that demonstrated the importance of Ottoman geographers in the global exchanges of knowledge during the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries.