What is a map? (Excerpt from Community Mapping ‘zine by Hannah Lewis)
-Maps are powerful.
-Maps have interests or an argument to make.
-Maps are socially constructed.
-Maps are often conventionalized (they become seen as true or real).
-Maps are shaped by (and shape) political, economic, social, and cultural discourses of the time.
-Maps are a means of communication that many people find appealing.
-Maps come in many forms, such as aboriginal maps of stories, songs, or dreams showing the convergence of boundaries between realms.
-Maps have different ways of representing time.
-Maps are relational—they represent relationships between spatial or physical elements, cultural values and abstract ideas. For example: a road map shows the distance between physical places, but also shows cultural relationships in place names and abstract ideas, such as wilderness or adventure.
-Maps reflect the map-maker’s worldview: the relationship between the map’s creator and the topic is important to consider.
No comments:
Post a Comment