The power of projections
how maps reflect global politics and history
- ISBN: 9780225991352
- Editorial: Praeger Publishers
- Fecha de la edición: 2006
- Lugar de la edición: London. Reino Unido
- Encuadernación: Cartoné
- Medidas: 24 cm
- Nº Pág.: 191
- Idiomas: Inglés
Why is Europe at the top half of maps and Africa at the bottom? Although we are accustomed to that convention, it is, in fact, a politically-motivated, almost entirely subjective way of depicting a ball spinning in space. Maps do not portray reality, but only interpretations of it. They are made for a purpose, and they incorporate a great amount of subjectivity. In geometric terms, maps are two- dimensional projections of a three-dimensional, spherical Earth. But maps are also psychological projections of the cartographer's psyche as they reflect his or her historical, political, and cultural values. The author examines the world perceptions of various civilizations and the ways in which maps have been formulated to serve the agenda of cartographers and their patrons. He analyses the recent decline of sovereignty, the spread of globalisation, the reassertion of ethnic identity, and how these trends affect contemporary mapmaking. We look to maps to tell us about geography; instead, maps tell us more about ourselves than we might have imagined.
Foreword Harvey Sicherman