| Summary: |
This research proposal aims at studying both theories and practices related to the modern demarcation of boundaries among Spain, Portugal and France, which were settled by different bilateral Boundary Treaties signed by those countries between 1750 and 1926. Two main theoretic-methodological elements articulate the project's approach. In the first place, the chosen framework stands halfway between history of geography and cartography, historical geography and political geography. In the second place, we make use of a comparative methodology in order to analyze three different cases relevant to the boundary demarcation process of the aforementioned states, namely: regarding the colonial territories, the Spanish-Portuguese boundaries in South America derived from the Treaties of
Madrid (1750) and San Ildefonso (1777), with an special focus on the Río de la Plata region; regarding the Iberian Peninsula, the Spanish- Portuguese boundary (with special focus on the Galicia-North Portugal area, delimited throughout 1855-1906) and the Spanish-French boundary (focusing on the Navarra area and on the works of the Caro-Ornano Boundary Commission, set up between 1784 and 1792).
The comparative methodology put forward allows to examining to what extent border
delimitation theories and practices related to the aforementioned case-studies reproduce and also produce a territorial and exclusive notion of sovereignty, which would eventually prevail in contemporary states. That particular notion essentially rest upon the establishment of lineal boundaries, represented by scientific maps and accurate geographic descriptions elaborated by Boundary Joint Commissions, where military bodies took a leading role. In that particular sense, the research project aims at comparing not only theories and practices associated to the aforementioned border delimitation processes (highlighting the main territorial conflicts which the border delimitation faced or unleashed), but also  |
Summary
This research proposal aims at studying both theories and practices related to the modern demarcation of boundaries among Spain, Portugal and France, which were settled by different bilateral Boundary Treaties signed by those countries between 1750 and 1926. Two main theoretic-methodological elements articulate the project's approach. In the first place, the chosen framework stands halfway between history of geography and cartography, historical geography and political geography. In the second place, we make use of a comparative methodology in order to analyze three different cases relevant to the boundary demarcation process of the aforementioned states, namely: regarding the colonial territories, the Spanish-Portuguese boundaries in South America derived from the Treaties of
Madrid (1750) and San Ildefonso (1777), with an special focus on the Río de la Plata region; regarding the Iberian Peninsula, the Spanish- Portuguese boundary (with special focus on the Galicia-North Portugal area, delimited throughout 1855-1906) and the Spanish-French boundary (focusing on the Navarra area and on the works of the Caro-Ornano Boundary Commission, set up between 1784 and 1792).
The comparative methodology put forward allows to examining to what extent border
delimitation theories and practices related to the aforementioned case-studies reproduce and also produce a territorial and exclusive notion of sovereignty, which would eventually prevail in contemporary states. That particular notion essentially rest upon the establishment of lineal boundaries, represented by scientific maps and accurate geographic descriptions elaborated by Boundary Joint Commissions, where military bodies took a leading role. In that particular sense, the research project aims at comparing not only theories and practices associated to the aforementioned border delimitation processes (highlighting the main territorial conflicts which the border delimitation faced or unleashed), but also diferente geographic representations produced or mobilized within those processes.
The hypothesis we work with is that those geographic representations not only allow to understanding key elements of the border regions' spatial organization, but also clearly reflect territorial and national ideas first held by enlightened monarchy and afterwards by raising liberal states. It is our contention that those geographic representations played a central role in the institutionalization of certain types of geographic and cartographic knowledge. The research project will be carried out by an international group made up of tem researchers coming from seven different countries (Spain, Portugal, France, Argentina, Brazil, UK and USA). Almost all of them have a wide expertise in the research topic and particularly in the case-studies on which the project focuses. The research will mainly draw on two types of sources: on the one hand, the historic archive materials (both textual andgraphic) regarding the Boundary Treaties which established the boundaries being considered
in this analysis. Special attention will be paid to the work of Boundary Joint Commissions, which prepared and implemented those Treaties. On the other hand, the printed bibliography of the period (especially the geographic, political and military one) explicitly related to the idea of boundary in those countries and territories under study.
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