Articles/Chapters by Zef M . Segal
Cartographies raciales : vers un racisme mis en espace, 2023
This paper explores the ways in which racial categories were invented, manipulated and represente... more This paper explores the ways in which racial categories were invented, manipulated and represented through the medium of cartography during the nineteenth century. Drawing on the collection of nineteenth and early twentieth century European and American atlases in the Library of Congress, this paper examines the history of racial mapping.
It traces the changes in colors, boundaries, and regions in order to analyze the interrelations between the constraints of mapping, pseudo-scientific racial theories, and contemporary political contexts. The resulting maps were more than visual reproductions of racial ideologies; they reshaped racial theories into coherent spatial taxonomies, which were then distributed and popularized.
זמנים, 2024
בניגוד למדינות אירופיות רבות אחרות, הרכבת לא נתפסה ברחבי העולם הגרמני של המאה התשע-עשרה כמנוגדת ל... more בניגוד למדינות אירופיות רבות אחרות, הרכבת לא נתפסה ברחבי העולם הגרמני של המאה התשע-עשרה כמנוגדת לכפריות או לטבעיות. היא נתפסה כחלק מהנוף הפסטורלי, יחד עם הנהר, העצים וחיות המשק. מאמר זה סוקר דימויים חזותיים של רכבות שהופיעו בהדפסים ובגלויות דואר, כדי לבחון את התפתחות הדימוי החזותי הגרמני, אם אכן קיים דימוי מאוחד כזה, ובעיקר את התהליך שהוביל להפיכת הרכבת ל"טבעית". אף על פי שגורמים בעלי אינטרס, כגון חברות רכבת, אליטות מקומיות ומוציאים לאור יזמו ועודדו את הדימויים השונים, האיקונוגרפיה שהשתמשו בה הייתה תוצאה של תרבות חזותית גרמנית שהתקיימה ללא תלות ביוזמות אלו.
The Communication Review, 2024
In July 1874, a map of the dateline was published in HaTzfira, a Hebrew journal printed in Warsaw... more In July 1874, a map of the dateline was published in HaTzfira, a Hebrew journal printed in Warsaw. This was, most likely, the first map published in a Hebrew journal, and the text accompanying the map acknowledges the cartographic ignorance of the readers. During the years 1862–1885, 76 articles used the word “map” or inserted a map to append the text. By evaluating the images as well as the texts, this article explores the changing roles maps played in the journal’s visual and textual discourse, from a means to enlighten and educate the readers to yet another expression of the commodification and popularization of science. This is more than just a discussion about maps and map history, this is a discussion about journals, and their different functions in society.
Journalism History, 2023
The history of fake news is longer and more nuanced than usually considered. This article examine... more The history of fake news is longer and more nuanced than usually considered. This article examines a particular case study in the late nineteenth century, in which the publication of fake news in a Hebrew journal, HaTzfira, caused a severe reaction that exposed structural flaws and undercurrents of journalistic confrontation as well as differing approaches toward the role of truth within the profession. By exploring earlier manifestations of fake news, historians gain a new perspective on its causes and also the strategies for fighting it.
Jewish Studies Quarterly, 2022
During the 19th century, new and improved communication and transportation technologies expanded ... more During the 19th century, new and improved communication and transportation technologies expanded »the known world.« This was especially true for the interconnected Jewish world, which readily utilized these technologies to communicate between remote communities. Accordingly, late 19th-century Jewish journals describe their readership, authorship and content as global rather than local. Although this concept rarely refers to the whole world, it is meaningful, since it mixes contemporary perceptions of geography, culture, race and politics. This paper explores the changing perceptions of the geographical world as reflected by Jewish media. Recent digitization of 19th-century Jewish journals, such as Hameʾasef and Hatsfira, enables a deeper understanding of the dynamic Jewish view of the world using computer-based visualizations. Digital tools, such as Geographic Information Systems and Network Visualization, are applied in order to make sense of the hidden data as a first step towards a historical interpretation toward closer reading of the computer-based-results and their contextualized meanings.
Constructing the Modern Jewish "Present": Time and Time Cycles in HaTzfira, 2022
The modern periodical is an important medium in the construction of time. Its appearance and cycl... more The modern periodical is an important medium in the construction of time. Its appearance and cycles of production turn artificial time cycles into seemingly natural and accepted social rhythms. Most importantly, periodicals play an important role in the construction of the "present" as a time frame of occurrences that happen "now". However, the reproduced "present" shouldn't be understood independently of the production cycle of the periodical. Accordingly, this study characterizes the differences resulting from the shift in time cycles of the nineteenth-century Hebrew periodical HaTzfira. This periodical started in 1862 as a weekly and was transformed in 1886 into a daily. In order to explore the change, this chapter compares the discourse in the three years prior to the conversion of this weekly into daily (1883-1885) with the discourse in the three years following this conversion (1886-1888). Through the use of computational tools, and in particular topic modeling algorithms, which offer a general overview of large-scale textual corpora, this chapter compares discursive patterns before and after 1886. This comparison is based, on the one hand, on a nuanced qualitative analysis of the resultant topics, and on the other hand, on an original mathematical analysis of the resultant vector space. On a theoretical level, this comparison helps characterize the differences between the discursive rhythms of weeklies and dailies. It also contributes to the introduction of computational tools into the study of Hebrew historical journalism.
Askola, 2022
This article discusses different uses of computational methods in historical journalism research.... more This article discusses different uses of computational methods in historical journalism research. It primarily focuses on time, space, and communication in modern Jewish history. (In Hebrew)
In memory of Oren Soffer (1971-2021).
Journal of Historical Network Research, 2021
This article examines the spatial and social evolution of the network of writers in the Jerusalem... more This article examines the spatial and social evolution of the network of writers in the Jerusalem-based periodical Ha-Me’asef during the years 1896 – 1914 as a compelling and dynamic example of transnational Jewish networks. The periodical, which was established by Rabbi Ben-Zion Abraham Koenka in 1896, was exceptional in that it aspired to reach beyond the Jerusalem social circle, from where it originated, and become the center of a global communication network. At its apex, some of the leading rabbinical figures in Palestine, the Middle-East, Europe and America became active writers. The journal eliminated the borders of the isolated spatial unit, in this case Jerusalem, and suggested in its place a new perception of ‘place’, which would be part of a relational and trans-local network.
By using digital methodologies, such as geographic mapping (GIS) and network mapping (SNA), this article explores the interrelations between global expansion and local networks, and in particular the effects of globalization on the role of Jerusalem. It shows that a noticeable spatial expansion of the network coexisted at first with concealed spatial divides that separated between geographical regions, such as the Levant and Western Europe. Furthermore, it identifies social groups among the participating rabbis, and ongoing changes in the internal hierarchy of the contemporary rabbinical centers, as they were reflected in the periodical. The article shows that the success of the transnational network went hand in hand with the decline of Jerusalem as its center.
The Journal of Transport History, 2022
Despite the dramatic effect of the railway age on the natural surroundings, it was not seen neces... more Despite the dramatic effect of the railway age on the natural surroundings, it was not seen necessarily as destructive to nature. Railways were both the epitome of progress as well as integral features in pastoral landscapes. This seemingly paradoxical perception of railways is partially explained by historicising the "naturalisation" of the German train system. This article describes the rapid transformation of the German train from a symbol of dynamic industrialisation to an integral part of the landscape. Visual images, such as lithographs and postcards, were the catalysts in this process. Railway companies, local elites and travel guide publishers promoted the process of "naturalisation" for economic reasons, but the iconography was a result of visual discourse in nineteenth-century German culture. This paper shows that unlike American, British and French depictions of railways, German artists portrayed a railway system, which rather than conquering nature, was blending peacefully into an existing natural landscape.
Journal of Jewish Studies, 2021
In this study we use computational tools to analyse the dynamic nature of the journalistic discou... more In this study we use computational tools to analyse the dynamic nature of the journalistic discourse as reflected in one decade (1874–83) of one Eastern European Hebrew weekly – HaTzfira. To identify latent themes in HaTzfira’s discourse we apply algorithmic topic-modelling analysis to an upgraded optical character recognition of this periodical. The analysis demonstrates two turning points in the history of HaTzfira’s discourse. The first, in the mid-1870s, reflected a shifting of balance from scientific topics to topics related to world politics. The second, and more significant, change occurred in 1881: world politics lost its dominance and there was a steep rise in topics relating to anti-Semitism. We argue that computational analysis helps reveal the life cycles and changing dominance of the overarching themes in HaTzfira and identify the main internal and external networks and influences that shape the journalistic text.
Flow Mapping through the Times: The Transition from Harness to Nazi Propaganda, 2020
One of the most commonly used types of maps today are flow maps, which simultaneously depict move... more One of the most commonly used types of maps today are flow maps, which simultaneously depict movement in time, place, and volume on a geographical map, as seen in GPS navigation devices. This type of map-making was invented independently during the 1830-1840s by three railway engineers from the United Kingdom, Belgium, and France. However, as this chapter argues, the growing popularity of the genre had little to do with the intent of the three pioneers. By looking at the context, in which flow maps appeared, rather than the technique used to design them, the chapter shows the importance of culture, politics, and ideology in understanding the changing meanings of flow maps during the nineteenth and twentieth centuries.
From Weekly to Daily Computational Analysis of Periodical Time Cycles, 2020
In this article we examine the differences between weekly and daily time cycles in the nineteenth... more In this article we examine the differences between weekly and daily time cycles in the nineteenth-century Hebrew newspaper HaTzfira. This newspaper changed its publication format in 1886 from weekly to daily. We use this case study to identify the meanings and implications of time cycles in the discourse constructed in each format, and most specifically the different constructions of the “present” in each. We do this by using the computational tool of topic modeling. Through analysis of the topics in the three years prior to the change (1883–1885) and the three years after the change (1886–1888), we show the different patterns of topic changes within the journal.
Kesher, 2019
On December 16, 1874, Chaim Zelig Slonimski, the founder and editor of HaTsefira, concluded volum... more On December 16, 1874, Chaim Zelig Slonimski, the founder and editor of HaTsefira, concluded volume 23 of the newspaper with a harsh and critical letter which he addressed not to readers but to his writers. The seemingly innocuous title that he attached to the letter, “A Word with Our Writers,” did not attest to the rage and frustration that appeared in the following paragraphs. The letter was directed against the newspaper’s reporters from distant Jewish communities who had taken advantage of his public stage to spread fake news.
Slonimski’s outburst followed the publication of three news items in the period October–December 1874, which had received critical responses from readers due to their allegedly biased, if not falsified, accounts of current events—a style of reportage far different from the objective and scientific journalism that Slonimski advocated. By examining the institutional and cultural background of the newspaper, the three false reports, and Slonimski’s letter, fake news is found to have been unavoidable despite Slonimski’s good intentions.
Zutot - Perspectives on Jewish Culture, 2019
The second half of the nineteenth century saw the establishment of several Hebrew newspapers in E... more The second half of the nineteenth century saw the establishment of several Hebrew newspapers in Eastern Europe and Palestine that provided a platform for a lively political discourse reflecting varied ideological approaches. This work focuses on one decade, 1874-1883, in the relatively long lifespan of the Hebrew weekly HaTzfira, which was founded in Warsaw in 1862. Applying computational tools to the study of the early Hebrew press requires a unique effort. The Hebrew language in general is distinct in its characters, morphological structure, and word order. The contribution of this proof-of-concept study is two-folds: First, computational analysis provides a long-term indication of trends in the discourse that cannot be attained through qualitative study. The second contribution is on the micro level: Computational analysis can potentially shed light, in a diachronic perspective, on the use of a specific term or the discussion of a specific geographical location.
The Political Fragmentation of Germany. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham, 2019
This chapter explores the geography of postal practices. The early nineteenth-century establishme... more This chapter explores the geography of postal practices. The early nineteenth-century establishment of centralized state postal services, the expansion of literacy, and the reduction in paper and mailing costs gave rise to a popular and public postal system. This postal system and more importantly the people’s postal practices created epistolary spaces, which lay in-between a ‘real’ world of material infrastructures and institutions and an ‘imagined’ world, in which distances shrink and the far horizons seem near. Even more than the spaces of mobility described in Chapters 8 and 9, epistolary spaces are born of free will rather than physical, ideological, or imagined constraints; they define people’s ‘territory.’
The Political Fragmentation of Germany. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham, 2019
German society in the mid-nineteenth century had become extremely mobile; people moved from place... more German society in the mid-nineteenth century had become extremely mobile; people moved from place to place by foot, horses, postal carriages, ships, and trains, in increasing quantities. Chapter 9 examines railway journeys in order to interpret the boundaries of travel in the German world. The analysis of statistical travel data reveals a self-proclaimed social boundary, which limits the directions of movement and its range. This chapter continues to develop the question of state territorial legitimacy, but complements it with a discussion of regional divisions.
The Political Fragmentation of Germany. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham, 2019
This chapter discusses two types of migration in the German world: mass emigration, primarily tow... more This chapter discusses two types of migration in the German world: mass emigration, primarily toward America and the migration of foreign students who studied in the various German states. Migration patterns, which include the volume, destinations, and points of origin of immigrants, are used as evidence of the quality and vitality of cross-border relations and transnational networks. Simultaneously, they manifest the stability of the community of origin and its inner unity. In the German context of mid-nineteenth century, these issues had a special significance since the 1871 unification of Germany is usually described as a natural outcome of an integrated German society and cross-border German nationalism. This chapter presents the spatial relationships of the citizens in the five states as they unfold from inter-German migration patterns.
The Political Fragmentation of Germany. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham, 2019
This chapter concerns German railway cartography in the mid-nineteenth century and its effects on... more This chapter concerns German railway cartography in the mid-nineteenth century and its effects on spatio-political perceptions (This chapter is a revised version of Segal, Zef. 2016. ‘Regionalism and Nationalism in the Railway Cartography of Mid-Nineteenth Century Germany,’ Imago Mundi 68(1): 46–61). The evolution of a railway system in Germany, from isolated single routes into national and ultimately international networks, has been customarily linked to the political issue of unification in 1871. The infrastructural changes triggered the introduction of new maps and map signs, which overshadowed other national and political signs and should not be seen as a simple means to a nationalist end. By examining the developing iconography of railways and railway networks, this chapter demonstrates that railways were a cause of deterritorialization for regions and states and for the vision of a unified Germany.
The Political Fragmentation of Germany. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham, 2019
The cartographic naturalization of the state territory requires a formation of a distinct visual ... more The cartographic naturalization of the state territory requires a formation of a distinct visual image that can be detached from its spatial context. Maps create logos by reinstating and replicating a certain spatial context. This is done through the use of colors and graphical measures, erasure of ‘unnecessary’ geographical and political elements, and a map frame that contextualizes the territory. This chapter discusses the demarcations of these logo-maps during the nineteenth century. With respect to the five German states, their utterly different cartographic representations reflected the different historical paths taken by their populations.
The Political Fragmentation of Germany. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham, 2019
The process of nationalization in the five medium-sized German states required a specific attenti... more The process of nationalization in the five medium-sized German states required a specific attention to the capital city and the state borders, the ‘heart’ and ‘skin’ of the emerging Geo-Body. The strengthening of the capital city was an inseparable part of the symbolic unification of the population around the center of power and territory, yet it encountered strong opposition from rival centers. Capital cities competed against both inner state and outer state centers. Similarly, states were required to define their borders and distinguish between their state territory and ‘outside world.’ Nonetheless, nineteenth-century borders did not only consist of external state borders, but also inner borders between districts. The new post-1815 German states had to deal with new inner as well as outer borders, and the stabilization of the states depended on the naturalization of those borders. This chapter demonstrates that from the late 1830s, and especially the 1840s, states became the focus of spatial identification and inner divisions lost their importance. This was reflected cartographically in the gradual disappearance of inner boundaries and the highlighting of capital cities. However, this was not uniformly exhibited since some states, such as Hanover, remained visually depicted as fragmented, and others, such as Baden, were never drawn with an accentuated capital city.
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Articles/Chapters by Zef M . Segal
It traces the changes in colors, boundaries, and regions in order to analyze the interrelations between the constraints of mapping, pseudo-scientific racial theories, and contemporary political contexts. The resulting maps were more than visual reproductions of racial ideologies; they reshaped racial theories into coherent spatial taxonomies, which were then distributed and popularized.
In memory of Oren Soffer (1971-2021).
By using digital methodologies, such as geographic mapping (GIS) and network mapping (SNA), this article explores the interrelations between global expansion and local networks, and in particular the effects of globalization on the role of Jerusalem. It shows that a noticeable spatial expansion of the network coexisted at first with concealed spatial divides that separated between geographical regions, such as the Levant and Western Europe. Furthermore, it identifies social groups among the participating rabbis, and ongoing changes in the internal hierarchy of the contemporary rabbinical centers, as they were reflected in the periodical. The article shows that the success of the transnational network went hand in hand with the decline of Jerusalem as its center.
Slonimski’s outburst followed the publication of three news items in the period October–December 1874, which had received critical responses from readers due to their allegedly biased, if not falsified, accounts of current events—a style of reportage far different from the objective and scientific journalism that Slonimski advocated. By examining the institutional and cultural background of the newspaper, the three false reports, and Slonimski’s letter, fake news is found to have been unavoidable despite Slonimski’s good intentions.
It traces the changes in colors, boundaries, and regions in order to analyze the interrelations between the constraints of mapping, pseudo-scientific racial theories, and contemporary political contexts. The resulting maps were more than visual reproductions of racial ideologies; they reshaped racial theories into coherent spatial taxonomies, which were then distributed and popularized.
In memory of Oren Soffer (1971-2021).
By using digital methodologies, such as geographic mapping (GIS) and network mapping (SNA), this article explores the interrelations between global expansion and local networks, and in particular the effects of globalization on the role of Jerusalem. It shows that a noticeable spatial expansion of the network coexisted at first with concealed spatial divides that separated between geographical regions, such as the Levant and Western Europe. Furthermore, it identifies social groups among the participating rabbis, and ongoing changes in the internal hierarchy of the contemporary rabbinical centers, as they were reflected in the periodical. The article shows that the success of the transnational network went hand in hand with the decline of Jerusalem as its center.
Slonimski’s outburst followed the publication of three news items in the period October–December 1874, which had received critical responses from readers due to their allegedly biased, if not falsified, accounts of current events—a style of reportage far different from the objective and scientific journalism that Slonimski advocated. By examining the institutional and cultural background of the newspaper, the three false reports, and Slonimski’s letter, fake news is found to have been unavoidable despite Slonimski’s good intentions.
Dieses Buch ist eine Übersetzung einer englischen Originalausgabe. Die Übersetzung wurde mit Hilfe von künstlicher Intelligenz erstellt. Eine anschließende menschliche Überarbeitung erfolgte vor allem in Bezug auf den Inhalt, so dass sich das Buch stilistisch anders liest als eine herkömmliche Übersetzung.
n argues that the mapping
of stories, movement, and change shou ld not be
understood as an innovation of contemporary
cartography, but rather as an important aspect of human
cartography with a longer history than might be
assumed. The authors in this collection reflect upon the
main characteristics and evolutions of st ory and motion
mapping, from the figurative news and history maps that
were mass produced in early modern Europe, through
the nineteenth and twentieth century flow maps that
appeared in various atlases, up to the digital and
interactive motion and personali zed maps that are
created today. Rather than presenting a clear and
homogeneous history from the past up until the present,
this book offers a toolbox for understanding and
interpreting the complex interplays and links between
narrative, motion, and maps.
In this international research volume, nine historians and cultural researchers from different academic institutions delve into the historical dimensions of infrastructural development. The interplay of infrastructures with society and its dominant political ideas and cultural beliefs is at the core of the analyses.
A wide range of topics and historical contexts are covered by the book, from nineteenth-century railroads and territorial identities, and the sonic features of pneumatic tube systems, to privacy and security issues in relation to modern telecommunications, and the materiality of satellite television at the end of the Cold War.
This research takes an initial step towards such a story by examining the cartographic depiction of new sovereign states in German Atlases between 1800 and 1939. Through the deconstruction of maps depicting states in their first two decades of their existence, I question the concept of uniformity and shed new light on the role of sovereignty and territoriality in the international landscape. This is done by using both quantitative methods, analyzing the number of maps depicting each state and the temporal change in these figures, and qualitative methods, examining the semiotic role of state symbols in the various maps.
Contrary to the general assumption that the territorial state had become prominent during the 18th and 19th centuries, this paper shows that even in the early 20th century the correlation between territoriality and sovereignty was an issue of the geopolitical standing of the state in question. Although states were important as actors in the international politics, they were not necessarily seen as the most important territorial entities. European, South-American, African, Arab and South-East Asian states were treated differently in German maps, and were given completely different cartographic roles, which were rarely the leading ones, as colonies, empires and sub-state regions were regularly seen as more crucial for the mapmaker.
In the German context of mid-nineteenth century, these issues had a special significance since the 1871 unification of Germany is usually described as a natural outcome of an integrated German society and cross-border German nationalism. In this paper, I will present the spatial relationships of the citizens in five German states that constitute the "third Germany": Bavaria, Saxony, Hanover, Wurttemberg and Baden, as they unfold from inter-German migration patterns. The primary focus of analysis is the inner-integration of these nineteenth century German states and the questionable existence of a single German society.
Migration patterns are not only used to compare between the various German states, but also to question the authenticity of the state itself. Issues regarding state integration, regional perceptions and German nationalism are treated when examining migration statistics from a district level of analysis rather than a state level analysis, which is the customary resolution in migration research. Consequently, accepted political spatial categories such as state boundaries are questioned in this paper.
Results show that some of these states, such as Saxony and Bavaria, were better integrated than others. More importantly, the manifested disunity between the various states provides an alternative explanation to the inability of these "third Germany" states to work together against Prussia and Austria. In addition, the paper shows that German unification predated the emergence of a unified German society, and questions the existence of popular German nationalism during these years.
time cycles in the nineteenth-century Hebrew newspaper HaTzfira.
This newspaper changed its publication format in 1886 from
weekly to daily. We use this case study to identify the meanings
and implications of time cycles in the discourse constructed in
each format, and most specifically the different constructions of
the “present” in each. We do this by using the computational tool
of topic modeling. Through analysis of the topics in the three
years prior to the change (1883–1885) and the three years after
the change (1886–1888), we show the different patterns of topic
changes within the journal.
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