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Article ID: CBB038343049

The Plurality of Reception: Latitude and Longitude in Early Modern China, 1700–1900 (2022)

Isis: International Review Devoted to the History of Science and Its Cultural Influences
Volume: 113
Issue: 3
Pages: 537-558

DOI: 10.1086/721142

URI: http://www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/10.1086/721142

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Sociotechnical systems Technology and politics Technology and society Navigation Maps; atlases Diffusion of innovation; diffusion of knowledge; diffusion of technology Longitude and latitude 19th century 18th century China

Drawing on the social history of technology and the technological systems approach, this essay reconceptualizes latitude-longitude coordinates as part of an integrated sociocultural system. The latitude-longitude coordinate system was a technological innovation socially and culturally embedded in Europe. When the Jesuits brought this technology to early modern China, its reception, the author argues, was selective and did not follow a uniform pattern. Using maps and other materials, the essay chronicles the uneven reception of latitude-longitude coordinates across different strata of early modern China: various actors had their own reasons, from political to budgetary, to accept certain components of this technology while ignoring or even transforming other parts. Through the case of latitude-longitude coordinates, the essay reveals the complexity of technology transmission. Wider social milieus and specific agencies determine the many and various criteria for inclusion and exclusion.

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