Embedded Files
Creative thinking
Creative thinking
Introductory lessons
Introductory lessons
Conspiracy theories and what they tell us about knowledge
Conspiracy theories and what they tell us about knowledge
What is knowledge? Lesson 1 - Definitions
What is knowledge? Lesson 1 - Definitions
What is knowledge? Lesson 2 - Perspectives
What is knowledge? Lesson 2 - Perspectives
What is knowledge? Lesson 3 - The map is not the territory
What is knowledge? Lesson 3 - The map is not the territory
The Map Is Not The Territory
The Map Is Not The Territory
- How accurate is this world map?
- How is it based on arbitrary conventions?
- In what ways is it culturally biased? – look at the location of the equator. Which hemisphere is bigger? Which part of the world is in the centre of the map? How might this reinforce prejudice/reinforce power relationships?
- Watch the video on the right to understand why there is no such thing as an accurate map of the world.
(Map is Mercator's Projection - shape/direction are accurate)
- How is this map different?
- How might the maker of this map have had a different "agenda"
(Map is Peter's Projection - size/area are accurate)
- Watch this video to understand why it is impossible to create a truly accurate map of the world.
- Why does this mean that all map-makers must make decisions about what they view as important?
- How might this mean that all world maps are embedded with prejudice?
What about the map below? What do you think was the agenda of this map maker? How does it change how we might perceive the US? Western Europe? Africa and Asia? Australia?
Spend a little time exploring this brilliant tool to get a sense of just how distorted size has been on conventional world maps.
Start with Indonesia - try moving it to western Europe or North America.
Try Greenland, New Zealand, Botswana...
Watch this clip from TV series "The West Wing".
- What does it say about how maps can be political?
- How might people with different political agendas use maps to help convince people of their arguments?
Study this image (from Google), taken from space. It has not selected which information to show - we can see everything that is visible.
What are the strengths of using an image such as this? Are there any problems? Where is it? Can you identify key features?
This map shows the same area. Is it clearer? How? Why? Who decided what to show? How might these decisions affect how we view or perceive the area shown? What if we were deciding where to have lunch? Where to send our children to school?
The map only shows selected information. How might this be a metaphor for knowledge?
“...there is such a tendency to see maps and the borders they depict (as well as most of the phenomenon they show) as being natural. Although critical cartographers have vehemently criticized this naturalization of the cartographic image since the 1980s demonstrating that any map is a political, social and cultural construction, we keep on believing almost blindly in the truthfulness of the information mapped.”
“...there is such a tendency to see maps and the borders they depict (as well as most of the phenomenon they show) as being natural. Although critical cartographers have vehemently criticized this naturalization of the cartographic image since the 1980s demonstrating that any map is a political, social and cultural construction, we keep on believing almost blindly in the truthfulness of the information mapped.”
https://www.opencanada.org/features/the-politics-of-maps/
The two sites below should make you think about how maps can be used to communicate information/data and even prejudice.
“That’s another thing we’ve learned from your Nation,” said Mein Herr, “map-making. But we’ve carried it much further than you. What do you consider the largest map that would be really useful?”
“That’s another thing we’ve learned from your Nation,” said Mein Herr, “map-making. But we’ve carried it much further than you. What do you consider the largest map that would be really useful?”
“About six inches to the mile.”
“About six inches to the mile.”
“Only six inches!” exclaimed Mein Herr. “We very soon got to six yards to the mile. Then we tried a hundred yards to the mile. And then came the grandest idea of all! We actually made a map of the country, on the scale of a mile to the mile!”
“Only six inches!” exclaimed Mein Herr. “We very soon got to six yards to the mile. Then we tried a hundred yards to the mile. And then came the grandest idea of all! We actually made a map of the country, on the scale of a mile to the mile!”
“Have you used it much?” I enquired.
“Have you used it much?” I enquired.
“It has never been spread out, yet,” said Mein Herr: “the farmers objected: they said it would cover the whole country, and shut out the sunlight! So we now use the country itself, as its own map, and I assure you it does nearly as well.
“It has never been spread out, yet,” said Mein Herr: “the farmers objected: they said it would cover the whole country, and shut out the sunlight! So we now use the country itself, as its own map, and I assure you it does nearly as well.
Carroll, L. (1893). Sylvie and Bruno Concluded. London: Macmillan and Co.
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