Katarzyna Murawska-Muthesius Analyzes Western Visual Constructions of Eastern Europe in New Routledge Publication

Katarzyna Murawska-Muthesius's 2021 book "Imaging and Mapping Eastern Europe" examines how British-produced images have shaped perceptions of the region from the Renaissance to the present. Published by Routledge in New York and Oxford, this 252-page volume analyzes maps, engravings, photographs, cartoons, and book covers through an iconological lens. The work positions itself alongside studies like Maria Todorova's "Imagining the Balkans" and Larry Wolff's "Inventing Eastern Europe," exposing how Western visual culture creates mental maps and power hierarchies. Murawska-Muthesius traces representations from Sebastian Münster's 1614 allegorical map to 20th-century National Geographic photographs and Punch magazine cartoons. She demonstrates how images of ethnic dress, particularly women in traditional attire, became enduring signifiers, while academic book covers after 1990 often featured revolutionary crowds and toppled statues. The analysis reveals a persistent British-centrism, with limited material from France, Germany, Austria, or Italy, and excludes Russia and Greek lands. A cover photograph by London-based artist Katarzyna Perlak features girls in folk dresses with balaclavas, critiquing traditional norms. Based on two decades of research, the book reflects the author's journey as a Polish art historian who moved to the UK in the 1990s. It opens avenues for future studies on Eastern European self-representation and images of the West produced in the East.