Critical cartography

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This article is orphaned as few or no other articles link to it.
Please help introduce links in articles on related topics. (December 2007)

Critical cartography is a set of new mapping practices and theoretical critique. It differs from academic cartography in that it links geographic knowledge with power, and thus is political. The term critique defines not just a simple analysis and rejection of concepts or practices. Critical cartographers do not aim to invalidate maps instead the critique is careful analysis of maps identifying attributes of the maps that are taken for granted. The eventual hope is to better understand the maps and gain more knowledge.

[edit] Current state of critical cartography

Since the 1991 death of J.B Harley, formerly a professor in Geography at the University of Wisconsin at Milwaukee, the field of cartography has flourished with theories and writing that identify maps as social issues and expressions of power and knowledge. A leading figure in picking up where Harley left off is Denis Wood, Jeremy Crampton and John Krygier. Maps are now viewed as potential sites of power and knowledge. They are sources of knowledge of geography, places and people. The aim of Critical Cartography is to reduce the gap between a more technically oriented map design and a more theoretically analysis of power in society.