The Rhythms Behind Change: Historiography and the Temporality of Non-Western Technological Landscapes

摘要

For the residents of precolonial and colonial Calcutta, the tides of the Hooghly river structured much of their economic and spiritual life. In a recent article, Debjani Bhattacharyya examines the visual representation of these tides in historical maps drawn by the British. There is none. The tidal spaces, (bhatir desh in Bengali) are virtually absent from colonial maps which therefore entirely "erase seasonality, temporality, and the tidal nature of moving land-waterscapes in this region".Bhattacharyya draws on the impossibility of capturing these tidal temporalities in maps to critically reflect our spatial fixities and "decolonize our visual literacy". Instead of maps, she recommends looking at historical almanacs both as sources and for conceptual inspiration. These almanacs were "based on the phases of the moon, [...] seasons, movements of the sun, wind, and tides guiding the farmer, sailor, pastor, and a whole host of people in their trades."