The Hidden Portuguese Elements: Objectification
Lastly, the map shows the overt objectification of Mumbai as a city that became clear in its political history. In 1626, Mumbai was attacked by the English while they were at war with the Portuguese. The English burned down buildings and destroyed Portuguese ships, giving no consideration to the impact of such an attack on the locals. In 1662, Mumbai was simply handed over to King Charles II of England as part of Catherine of Braganza’s dowry when the two were married. The decision to hand over Mumbai was purely transactional; it was as simple as adding it to an extensive list of territories that were ceded as part of this dowry. No consideration was given to how this would impact the locals; instead, the factors at hand were simply politics and trade.
This objectification comes through in the maps as well. The map of the fortress of Mumbai was one in a series of many sites that had been objectified. Not only are all the elements of urban life oversimplified and often misrepresented, but the city is also reduced into a series of standardized symbols. As Harley writes, “As much as guns and warships, maps have been the weapons of imperialism” (57). The city has essentially been reduced and stripped down to its transactional value for which the colonists wanted to possess it. By taking away the unique facets of Mumbai that gave it personality, the colonists were able to exert control over life there.
Moreover, the standardization of the city is met with an underlying notion of manipulation. Corner writes:
The strategic, constitutive, and inventive capacities of mapping are not widely recognized in the urban design and planning arts, even though cartography and planning have enjoyed a long and mutually influential relationship since the fifteenth century (Corner 215)
Similarly, Harley explains that when a piece of land is standardized and divided, there is this notion of arbitrary declaration of power. He cites two examples: when the Roman agrimensores made grids and when the US rectangular land survey was performed (Harley 56). Both led to a creation of “Order upon the land” (Harley 56), which reaffirmed the power of the Romans and Americans, respectively. In sum, Corner explains that mapping is often intertwined with urban design and planning, which serves as a means for exerting power over a people. The standardization and division of land is often the manifestation of such power, and it is clearly seen in these maps, showing Mumbai’s concession to the colonists.