Maps: Points of View

Consider these two comments: Why is there disparity between the two? Point of view

As with Documents, so too, Maps Author/Publisher: Knowing who created a map may offer hints to any bias As well as distortion, there is also Point of View…. for many years, the US was the main publisher of maps. It was not unusual to find maps (especially in textbooks) with the US in the middle. This American view is not seen as much today. Does this person or organization have a vested interest in how the map is perceived by the reader? “town plats” maps created by western promoters were aimed at attracting prospective settlers—but they were often pure propoganda

Place of Publication: In what country or city was the map published? What if we centered the world near where most of the people live? This is the Asian view of the world What languages does the map employ? This could provide insights into potential nationalistic biases

Date: When was the map constructed? Does the map reflect true facts? Post 1990 maps of Europe should show one Germany, not two

Audience: Who was the intended audience? What message did the mapmaker want to send? Why was the map produced?

Japanese point of view Korean Point of View

The Falkland Islands. In fact, when Argentina invaded in 1982 the British went to war over ownership of these islands. Britain won. These are the Islas Malvina. They belong to Argentina…… According to Argentina. The people that live there are British descendants. They believe they live in….

So, you are making the map… So, you are making the map….. The Kuril Islands are disputed between Russia and Japan. Who do you give them to on your map???

Source of Data: Knowing the source of a map’s data will help in assessing the appropriateness of the info and map

Simplication: Many details are often omitted as a map’s scale becomes smaller Just like a historian cannot record every minute detail of an event, cartogrpahers cannot show all aspects of a place. In the case of maps, more details about the world are omitted as the map’s scale becomes smaller

Distortion: Most maps have inaccuracies in certain areas (just varies in how) This Mercator Map has great detail near the Equator, but the Poles are distorted