Of Maps and Men

The focus of this chapter is the co-constitution of knowledge, places, and peoples. The argument centres on the Arctic region, as explored, mapped, controlled, and inhabited, with a certain emphasis on the Thule District in North West Greenland. The general idea is to show how both natures and peoples emerge out of motley interests, and how specific concerns— cartographic, ethnographic, political, or scientific—precede and produce established facts.