# CISGE > Italian research institute on historic geography and maps **Wikidata**: [Q122287862](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q122287862) **Source**: https://4ort.xyz/entity/cisge ## Summary CISGE (Centro Italiano per gli Studi di Storia della Geografia e delle Mappe) is an Italian research institute dedicated to historic geography and cartography, founded in 1992 and based in Rome at the Dipartimento di Studi Umanistici dell'Università Roma. The institute produces the academic journal Geostorie and operates as a nonprofit organization focused on systematic investigation into the history of geography and maps. ## Key Facts - **Full name:** Centro Italiano per gli Studi di Storia della Geografia e delle Mappe (CISGE) - **Founded:** July 15, 1992 - **Location:** Rome, Italy — housed at Dipartimento di Studi Umanistici dell'Università Roma - **Legal status:** Nonprofit organization - **Primary activity:** Research on historic geography and maps - **Publication:** Produces the Geostorie journal - **Classification:** Research institute (distinct from universities, think tanks, and scientific societies) - **Country:** Italy - **Yale Lux ID:** group/71cdca24-d7db-4e95-b492-095665a8892a - **Wikidata description:** Italian research institute on historic geography and maps ## FAQs ### Q: What does CISGE research? A: CISGE focuses on the history of geography and cartography, investigating how geographic knowledge and mapping have evolved across different periods and cultures. The institute conducts systematic research into historic maps, geographic texts, and the development of spatial understanding. ### Q: How is CISGE different from a university geography department? A: While university geography departments combine teaching with research and grant degrees, CISGE exists exclusively for research purposes. The institute dedicates all its resources to investigating historic geography and maps without educational obligations, allowing researchers to pursue long-term, specialized inquiry. ### Q: What publication does CISGE produce? A: CISGE publishes Geostorie, an academic journal focused on the history of geography and cartography. This publication serves as a platform for disseminating research findings to the scholarly community interested in historic geographic knowledge. ### Q: Where is CISGE located? A: CISGE is headquartered in Rome, Italy, specifically housed within the Dipartimento di Studi Umanistici (Department of Humanistic Studies) at the University of Rome. This placement connects the institute with broader humanistic scholarship while maintaining its independent research focus. ### Q: When was CISGE established? A: CISGE was founded on July 15, 1992, establishing itself as a dedicated research organization for historic geographic and cartographic studies in Italy. ## Why It Matters CISGE occupies a specialized niche in the Italian and international academic landscape by focusing exclusively on the history of geography and cartography. Unlike broader research institutions that spread their attention across multiple disciplines, CISGE concentrates all its resources on understanding how human beings have conceptualized, documented, and understood geographic space throughout history. The institute addresses a critical gap in geographic scholarship by investigating historical maps not merely as artifacts but as windows into how societies perceived their world, navigated territories, and expressed spatial knowledge. This research has implications for historians, cartographers, geographers, and scholars studying the evolution of scientific thought. As a nonprofit research institute, CISGE provides an environment where researchers can pursue fundamental inquiry into cartographic history without commercial pressures or teaching obligations. This dedicated focus enables the production of detailed scholarly work, including the Geostorie journal, which contributes to the global understanding of geographic and cartographic heritage. The institute's connection to the University of Rome's Dipartimento di Studi Umanistici positions it at the intersection of humanistic scholarship and geographic science, fostering interdisciplinary dialogue that enriches understanding of how maps have shaped and been shaped by cultural, political, and scientific developments. ## Notable For - Dedicated exclusively to historic geography and cartography research since 1992 - Produces the Geostorie journal for scholarly communication in the field - Based at a major Italian university's Department of Humanistic Studies - Operates as a nonprofit organization focused on fundamental scientific inquiry - Specializes in a specific historical niche rather than broad policy-oriented research ## Body ### History and Foundation CISGE was established on July 15, 1992, in Rome, Italy, filling a specialized need for dedicated research into the history of geography and maps. The founding responded to growing academic interest in cartographic heritage and historic geographic knowledge as fields worthy of systematic investigation. Since its establishment, the institute has maintained its focus on historic geography rather than expanding into adjacent fields, demonstrating commitment to depth over breadth in its research mission. ### Organizational Structure and Location The institute maintains its headquarters at the Dipartimento di Studi Umanistici dell'Università Roma (Department of Humanistic Studies at the University of Rome). This location provides CISGE with institutional infrastructure while preserving its identity as an independent research organization. The arrangement reflects a model where specialized research institutes operate within or alongside universities without becoming integrated academic departments, allowing for operational flexibility while accessing institutional resources. ### Research Focus and Activities CISGE conducts systematic investigation into historic geography and cartography, examining maps and geographic texts as primary sources for understanding how geographic knowledge developed over time. The research encompasses various periods, from ancient cartographic traditions through medieval mapping practices to early modern geographic science. This temporal breadth allows the institute to trace continuities and transformations in how human societies have represented and understood geographic space. ### Publication: Geostorie The institute produces the Geostorie journal, which serves as the primary vehicle for disseminating research findings to the academic community. The journal focuses on the history of geography and cartography, providing a dedicated publication venue for scholars working in these specialized fields. This publication activity positions CISGE as a hub for cartographic scholarship in Italy and contributes to international academic discourse on geographic and mapping history. ### Classification and Identity CISGE is classified as a research institute, a distinct organizational form characterized by the sole purpose of conducting research. This classification differentiates the institute from universities (which combine teaching and research), think tanks (which focus on policy-oriented research), and scientific societies (which are membership-based organizations). The research institute model allows CISGE to dedicate all its resources, personnel, and attention to investigation rather than dividing focus across educational or membership functions. ### Legal and Institutional Status Operating as a nonprofit organization, CISGE structures its activities around knowledge generation rather than commercial objectives. This legal status supports the institute's capacity to pursue long-term research projects that may not yield immediate practical applications but contribute to scholarly understanding of geographic and cartographic history. The nonprofit framework also facilitates partnerships with academic institutions, libraries, and cultural organizations that share interests in historic geographic materials. ### Connections to Knowledge Organization Systems CISGE appears in various knowledge organization systems that document research institutions and organizations. The Yale Lux ID group/71cdca24-d7db-4e95-b492-095665a8892a provides a structured identifier within that system. The institute's classification as a research institute aligns with broader categorization schemes used in library science and academic administration to distinguish pure research organizations from hybrid institutional forms. ## References 1. [Directory of Open Access Journals](https://rivistadistoriadelleducazione.it/index.php/RSE/about) 2. [Source](https://www.cisge.it/en/2683-2/)