MAPPING, SPACE AND POWER

Catalog description

Maps serve as visual representations of space. They encapsulate the intentions and perspectives of their creators and acquire new functionalities as people interpret and use them for various purposes. This course focuses on critical cartography as it analyzes the power and influence wielded by maps. Students explore maps, the process of map creation and map interpretation. They also delve into how mapping activities are inherently political and inseparable from power dynamics. The course examines the historical and cultural development of mapping with a focus on how maps perpetuate existing power structures through their creation, distribution and interpretation. At the same time, students also focus on the power of maps to disrupt and to promote social and environmental justice.