2026 Unfolding histories: Cape Town in maps
About: How has the Cape Town's infrastructure evolved since the mid-19th century? How can we visualize the city's history via maps? What, in particular, can we learn from maps about the impact of apartheid's Group Areas legislation, passed in the 1950s and implemented until 1990? This project focuses on the city's evolution through detailed analysis (including georeferencing) of maps and city plans. We'll examine and curate a wide range of historic maps. Among our source material will be unpublished maps and plans in the possession of the City of Cape Town's Directorate for Spatial Planning and Environment.This project will be directly supervised by the faculty lead in partnership with the City of Cape Town; the David Rumsey Map Center; and the Stanford Geospatial Center.
Research Tasks: The RA will study various maps and plans of Cape Town, from the mid-19th century to the present day, to understand the evolution of urban space.
Qualifications: Required: interest in urban history; in the history of (South) Africa
Preferred: experience with ArcGIS/QGIS, and with historic maps
Base stipend is $8500 with up to $1500 additional stipend based on financial need.
- This is a full-time position; students are expected to participate 35+ hours/week for 10 consecutive weeks. Participants are not permitted to engage in another full-time internship, job, or volunteer opportunity (whether funded by Stanford or otherwise). They also may not hold a part-time internship, job, or volunteer opportunity unless their faculty mentors or program mentors have approved these arrangements before the start of the summer. Students also cannot receive an additional VPUE part-time grant within the same quarter.
- Students must be current undergraduates in good standing at Stanford during the summer quarter; those graduating in June are not eligible.
- Students may not receive both academic units and a stipend for any single project activity.
- Students pursuing a co-term are eligible ONLY IF 1) they have not conferred their undergraduate degree AND 2) they are in the undergraduate (not graduate) tuition group.
- Students may not be serving a suspension or be on a Leave of Absence (LOA) while using grant funding.
