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Books by John Wing

Cover illustration: Inset from a chorographic chart of forests and other resources within the nav... more Cover illustration: Inset from a chorographic chart of forests and other resources within the naval provinces of the Department of Cádiz by José Antonio Espelius in 1765. A large coat of arms belonging to King Carlos III (r. 1759-1788) sits on a beach at the forest's edge where one can see a worker chopping wood, four more workers carting logs, a shipyard on the shore with a vessel under construction, a fisherman, a vessel at sea on the horizon, and a small inlet for preserving the wood. (Source: España. Ministerio de Cultura. Biblioteca Nacional de España. MR/45 FACS. 24. Cádiz (Departamento marítimo) Bosques 1765 por José Espelius.)

Papers by John Wing

ámbito hispano una serie de obras seminales que sentarían las bases para una posterior profundiza... more ámbito hispano una serie de obras seminales que sentarían las bases para una posterior profundización en estos temas . A partir de ellas, se ha avanzado mucho en el conocimiento de la historia forestal, sobre todo, en lo referido a su estrecha relación con la de la Real Armada española. Sin ir más lejos, se han incorporado nuevas perspectivas al debate historiográfico, destacando en este sentido las aportaciones procedentes de la geografía histórica y la historia jurídica, sobre todo, después de que la ecología histórica iniciase las discusiones más interesantes, en las décadas de 1980. En el propio marco de la disciplina histórica, los historiadores han hecho a su vez aportaciones importantes al tema estos últimos decenios, en particular, desde el ámbito de la historia naval, al profundizar en la relación de los recursos forestales con la industria naval y los arsenales. Uno de esos recientes esfuerzos ha sido protagonizado por el proyecto ForSeaDiscovery, cuyos resultados han pretendido, gracias al diálogo establecido entre disciplinas como la arqueología, la dendrocronología y la historia, mostrar cuál fue en la Península Ibérica el impacto que la presión de las actividades humanas ejercieron sobre los bosques, cómo éstos fueron utilizados por administraciones y políticas de estado que no tenían en cuenta criterios ambientales 1 . En su origen, los estudios históricos en torno al bosque procedieron a analizar, sin más, la legislación existente, si bien, recientemente, los investigadores han tratado de averiguar cuál habría sido la eficacia de la aplicación de esa legislación, a través del manejo sistemático de documentación judicial y administrativa. Así, se ha puesto de manifiesto que la legislación forestal promovida y aplicada por la Monarquía Hispánica tuvo un desigual éxito: las ordenanzas establecidas en tiempos de los Austrias parece que fueron eficaces en cuanto a la preservación y gestión del monte, al menos en lo que al Cantábrico se refiere, al permitir que en el siglo XVIII existiese allí una riqueza forestal envidiable para el resto de las potencias europeas. Por el contrario, la Real Ordenanza de 1748 fue un fracaso absoluto, pues únicamente estuvo en vigor durante el mandato de su promotor, el Marqués de la Ensenada. Al respecto, la historia jurídica ha abierto una línea de investigación sobre el origen de dicha ordenanza que ha dado sorpresas: si tradicionalmente se pensaba que la Ordenanza francesa de Aguas y Bosques establecida en 1669 por Colbert había sido la fuente esencial de inspiración de la ordenanza de 1748, idea repetida una y otra vez de manera acrítica por la historiografía especializada, hoy es puesta en cuestión. Cada vez son más los investigadores que reclaman un origen autóctono para este cuerpo jurídico, que sintetiza en su seno al menos dos siglos de experiencia legislativa y forestal, la cual se

During the early modern period, Spain's empire extended into parts of five continents, separ... more During the early modern period, Spain's empire extended into parts of five continents, separated by vast stretches of water. Spain depended on wooden ocean-going vessels to connect and defend its imperial holdings. Timber supplies, therefore, were essential to the continued ...

Obradoiro de Historia Moderna, 2019

Este texto es un estado de la cuestión sobre la relación entre el bosque y la Marina

Between 1737 and 1739, Spanish naval officers conducted reconnaissance missions in nearly all for... more Between 1737 and 1739, Spanish naval officers conducted reconnaissance missions in nearly all forests within accessible range of naval shipyards to determine their suitability for shipbuilding. Spain's top naval minister, the Marqués de la Ensenada, oversaw the collection of these reports, which were meant to aid broader state-enhancement reforms. While the practice of Spanish naval forest reconnaissance was not new in this period, the scale and urgency was unprecedented and set in motion a new era of territorialization within Spain, strengthening the crown's control of natural resources. Crown management of forests, based on more reliable knowledge of their quality, locations, and accessibility, was integral during a period of naval resurgence in the mideighteenth century, but remains poorly studied. The article analyzes the motivations, strategies, methods, and findings of numerous forest reconnaissance missions from across Spain during this period.

Timber resources were essential for maintaining the fleets that controlled Spain's transatlantic ... more Timber resources were essential for maintaining the fleets that controlled Spain's transatlantic empire in the sixteenth century. This article argues that although the forest clearances for building the Armada during the reign of Felipe II (r. 1556-98) have been characterized as politically and ecologically destructive, this demand for timber as a strategic resource for war marked the beginning of systematic management of Spanish forests. It also connects forest conservation and the replanting of species valued by the navy, such as oaks and pines, with the militarization and expansion of bureaucratic state power. Finally, this article sheds light on social history by describing the ways in which agents of the crown faced practical limitations to their authority, primarily in the well-forested northern regions. To harvest naval timber without disrupting the social order, Madrid had to balance local interests and imperial demands. Even as international conflicts drained the finances of Spain and rapidly consumed its material and human resources, the crown continued to reaffirm the long-standing legal rights of local communities to access forest resources. Still, by the end of the century, Spain had begun using advanced techniques John T. Wing, "Keeping Spain Afloat: State Forestry and

Despite the many alternative insights produced within human geography since the height of the spa... more Despite the many alternative insights produced within human geography since the height of the spatial science tradition of the 1960s and those within geographic information systems (GIS) itself, we still observe in our classrooms, hiring committees, and textbooks a dominant and singular understanding of GIS that fixes its meaning in ways that marginalize ''non-GIS'' geography. We are concerned about the effect that this valuation of GIS and devaluation of its others might have on the discipline of geography. In what follows, we report on our examination of the dominant discourse of GIS across a variety of sites in numerous academic, commercial, and educational sources where we found it to be repeatedly performed in ways that give particular meaning and power to ''GIS.'' We identify four characteristics attributed to GIS by and through this widespread discourse. We then discuss the effect of this discourse and, in particular, what it might mean to the discipline of geography. Finally, we suggest an exploration of ''heterodox GIS'' as a discursive strategy that we should deploy in our classrooms, departments, and beyond, as well as a political project aimed at destabilizing a singular and orthodox GIS. Such strategies should not strive to undermine or negate GIS but, rather, should aim to negate the notion that GIS is a single thing, linearly progressing, inherently expanding, and universally applicable.

Book Reviews by John Wing

Cover illustration: Inset from a chorographic chart of forests and other resources within the nav... more Cover illustration: Inset from a chorographic chart of forests and other resources within the naval provinces of the Department of Cádiz by José Antonio Espelius in 1765. A large coat of arms belonging to King Carlos III (r. 1759-1788) sits on a beach at the forest's edge where one can see a worker chopping wood, four more workers carting logs, a shipyard on the shore with a vessel under construction, a fisherman, a vessel at sea on the horizon, and a small inlet for preserving the wood. (Source: España. Ministerio de Cultura. Biblioteca Nacional de España. MR/45 FACS. 24. Cádiz (Departamento marítimo) Bosques 1765 por José Espelius.)

ámbito hispano una serie de obras seminales que sentarían las bases para una posterior profundiza... more ámbito hispano una serie de obras seminales que sentarían las bases para una posterior profundización en estos temas . A partir de ellas, se ha avanzado mucho en el conocimiento de la historia forestal, sobre todo, en lo referido a su estrecha relación con la de la Real Armada española. Sin ir más lejos, se han incorporado nuevas perspectivas al debate historiográfico, destacando en este sentido las aportaciones procedentes de la geografía histórica y la historia jurídica, sobre todo, después de que la ecología histórica iniciase las discusiones más interesantes, en las décadas de 1980. En el propio marco de la disciplina histórica, los historiadores han hecho a su vez aportaciones importantes al tema estos últimos decenios, en particular, desde el ámbito de la historia naval, al profundizar en la relación de los recursos forestales con la industria naval y los arsenales. Uno de esos recientes esfuerzos ha sido protagonizado por el proyecto ForSeaDiscovery, cuyos resultados han pretendido, gracias al diálogo establecido entre disciplinas como la arqueología, la dendrocronología y la historia, mostrar cuál fue en la Península Ibérica el impacto que la presión de las actividades humanas ejercieron sobre los bosques, cómo éstos fueron utilizados por administraciones y políticas de estado que no tenían en cuenta criterios ambientales 1 . En su origen, los estudios históricos en torno al bosque procedieron a analizar, sin más, la legislación existente, si bien, recientemente, los investigadores han tratado de averiguar cuál habría sido la eficacia de la aplicación de esa legislación, a través del manejo sistemático de documentación judicial y administrativa. Así, se ha puesto de manifiesto que la legislación forestal promovida y aplicada por la Monarquía Hispánica tuvo un desigual éxito: las ordenanzas establecidas en tiempos de los Austrias parece que fueron eficaces en cuanto a la preservación y gestión del monte, al menos en lo que al Cantábrico se refiere, al permitir que en el siglo XVIII existiese allí una riqueza forestal envidiable para el resto de las potencias europeas. Por el contrario, la Real Ordenanza de 1748 fue un fracaso absoluto, pues únicamente estuvo en vigor durante el mandato de su promotor, el Marqués de la Ensenada. Al respecto, la historia jurídica ha abierto una línea de investigación sobre el origen de dicha ordenanza que ha dado sorpresas: si tradicionalmente se pensaba que la Ordenanza francesa de Aguas y Bosques establecida en 1669 por Colbert había sido la fuente esencial de inspiración de la ordenanza de 1748, idea repetida una y otra vez de manera acrítica por la historiografía especializada, hoy es puesta en cuestión. Cada vez son más los investigadores que reclaman un origen autóctono para este cuerpo jurídico, que sintetiza en su seno al menos dos siglos de experiencia legislativa y forestal, la cual se

During the early modern period, Spain's empire extended into parts of five continents, separ... more During the early modern period, Spain's empire extended into parts of five continents, separated by vast stretches of water. Spain depended on wooden ocean-going vessels to connect and defend its imperial holdings. Timber supplies, therefore, were essential to the continued ...

Obradoiro de Historia Moderna, 2019

Este texto es un estado de la cuestión sobre la relación entre el bosque y la Marina

Between 1737 and 1739, Spanish naval officers conducted reconnaissance missions in nearly all for... more Between 1737 and 1739, Spanish naval officers conducted reconnaissance missions in nearly all forests within accessible range of naval shipyards to determine their suitability for shipbuilding. Spain's top naval minister, the Marqués de la Ensenada, oversaw the collection of these reports, which were meant to aid broader state-enhancement reforms. While the practice of Spanish naval forest reconnaissance was not new in this period, the scale and urgency was unprecedented and set in motion a new era of territorialization within Spain, strengthening the crown's control of natural resources. Crown management of forests, based on more reliable knowledge of their quality, locations, and accessibility, was integral during a period of naval resurgence in the mideighteenth century, but remains poorly studied. The article analyzes the motivations, strategies, methods, and findings of numerous forest reconnaissance missions from across Spain during this period.

Timber resources were essential for maintaining the fleets that controlled Spain's transatlantic ... more Timber resources were essential for maintaining the fleets that controlled Spain's transatlantic empire in the sixteenth century. This article argues that although the forest clearances for building the Armada during the reign of Felipe II (r. 1556-98) have been characterized as politically and ecologically destructive, this demand for timber as a strategic resource for war marked the beginning of systematic management of Spanish forests. It also connects forest conservation and the replanting of species valued by the navy, such as oaks and pines, with the militarization and expansion of bureaucratic state power. Finally, this article sheds light on social history by describing the ways in which agents of the crown faced practical limitations to their authority, primarily in the well-forested northern regions. To harvest naval timber without disrupting the social order, Madrid had to balance local interests and imperial demands. Even as international conflicts drained the finances of Spain and rapidly consumed its material and human resources, the crown continued to reaffirm the long-standing legal rights of local communities to access forest resources. Still, by the end of the century, Spain had begun using advanced techniques John T. Wing, "Keeping Spain Afloat: State Forestry and

Despite the many alternative insights produced within human geography since the height of the spa... more Despite the many alternative insights produced within human geography since the height of the spatial science tradition of the 1960s and those within geographic information systems (GIS) itself, we still observe in our classrooms, hiring committees, and textbooks a dominant and singular understanding of GIS that fixes its meaning in ways that marginalize ''non-GIS'' geography. We are concerned about the effect that this valuation of GIS and devaluation of its others might have on the discipline of geography. In what follows, we report on our examination of the dominant discourse of GIS across a variety of sites in numerous academic, commercial, and educational sources where we found it to be repeatedly performed in ways that give particular meaning and power to ''GIS.'' We identify four characteristics attributed to GIS by and through this widespread discourse. We then discuss the effect of this discourse and, in particular, what it might mean to the discipline of geography. Finally, we suggest an exploration of ''heterodox GIS'' as a discursive strategy that we should deploy in our classrooms, departments, and beyond, as well as a political project aimed at destabilizing a singular and orthodox GIS. Such strategies should not strive to undermine or negate GIS but, rather, should aim to negate the notion that GIS is a single thing, linearly progressing, inherently expanding, and universally applicable.