Outside the Baselines

This chapter experiments with mapping as a radical methodology to explore the personal narratives embedded within Colombo's lived spaces. While traditionally regarded as objective depictions of spatial realities, contemporary geographic scholarship acknowledges the inherent subjectivity of maps, shaped by socio-cultural, historical, and political influences. Maps serve not only as navigational tools but also as repositories of socio-spatial narratives and lived experiences. From colonial interventions to postcolonial urban transformations that reshaped Colombo's physical and cultural landscapes, we investigate the dimensions of the city's social spaces that were produced and negotiated over drastic urban transitions. Through in-depth historical and ethnographic accounts, we foreground the obscured narratives underlying the city's many realities. We advocate creative mapping practices on the ground to challenge the persistent colonial geographies

Colonialism · Ethnography · Everyday life · Narrative · Placemaking · Politics · Scholarship · Subjectivity · Anthropological Studies and Insights · South Asian Cinema and Culture · Urban Planning and Governance