Colonization by Documentation: British Representations of Ireland in Maps, Archives, and Travelogues

Diane George reviews three recent books examining the colonial relationship between Ireland and Great Britain from the sixteenth century through the nineteenth century through the lens of historical and cultural geography, history, and ethnography. The books under review examine the use of cartographical production, surveying, and travel narratives to construct an Irish landscape made available for British colonization. This review shows the significance of the ideological formation of place and space to Britain's colonial imaginary and to colonizing practices in Ireland.