Using Scalar to Deep-Map Modern East Asian History

FAIN: HAA-266465-19

North Carolina State University (Raleigh, NC 27695-0001)
David R. Ambaras (Project Director: January 2019 to present)
Kate Linette McDonald (Co Project Director: July 2019 to present)

The further development of the Bodies and Structures series on East Asian history and geospatial studies. As part of the project, the Scalar publishing platform would be improved to allow for the incorporation of additional spatial visualizations.

Cartographic maps visualize only a small part of the historical relationships and experiences that constitute spatial history. Yet they remain the mainstay of digital spatial history projects. Bodies and Structures captures the multivocality of spatial history. Built in the open-source platform Scalar, the site enables scholars and students to analyze the historical, multivocal nature of space and place in East Asia and beyond. We are applying for a Level II grant for September 2019-August 2021 to greatly enhance the site’s utility for teaching and research in modern East Asian history and the spatial humanities. During this period, we will enhance Scalar’s capacity for analytical visualizations and user-directed engagement; add twelve modules to expand the project’s geo-historical scope and provide new disciplinary perspectives; and use the new Scalar tools to design new maps and visualizations that locate the modules in the site’s new spatial historical environment.