Maps and Politics

by Jeremy Black

Overview

Do maps accurately and objectively present the information we expect them to portray, or are they instead colored by the political purposes of their makers? In this lively and well-illustrated book, Jeremy Black investigates this dangerous territory, arguing persuasively that the supposed "objectivity" of the map-making and map-using process cannot be divorced from aspects of the politics of representation.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780226054933
Publisher:	University of Chicago Press
Publication date:	02/11/1998
Edition description:	1
Pages:	188
Product dimensions:	6.25(w) x 9.25(h) x 0.80(d)

About the Author

Jeremy Black is professor of history at the University of Exeter and the author of more than one hundred and forty books.

Table of Contents

Preface
Introduction
1: Cartography as Power
2: Mapping the World and its Peoples
3: Socio-Economic Issues and Cartography
4: The Problems of Mapping Politics
5: Frontiers
6: War as an Aspect of Political Cartography
7: Conclusion
References
Picture Acknowledgements
Index

What People are Saying About This

Mark Monmonier

Historian Jeremy Black's elegantly provocative critique of western cartography warrants the attention of anyone intrigued by the power and mystique of maps.

Editorial Reviews

Argues that the supposed objectivity of the map-making and map-using process cannot be divorced from aspects of the politics of representation, demonstrating that maps have played and continue to play a major role in international and domestic politics through historical and contemporary examples. Discusses how to recognize underlying messages in world maps and atlases, the problem of mapping frontiers in dispute, and the ways in which cartographers deal with political and socioeconomic issues in maps. Also looks at major cartographic developments due to scientific advances and a greater emphasis on graphic imagery. Includes b&w and color maps. Annotation c. by Book News, Inc., Portland, Or.

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