Radical Cartography: How Changing Our Maps Can Change Our World
A thought—provoking exploration of how maps shape our understanding of the world

Cartographer and historian William Rankin argues that it's time to reimagine what a map can be and how it can be used. Maps are not neutral visualizations of facts. They are innately political, defining how the world is divided, what becomes visible and what stays hidden, and whose voices are heard. What matters isn't just the topics or the data, but how maps make arguments about how the world works. And the consequences are enormous. A map's visual argument can change how cities are designed and how rivers flow, how wars are fought and how land claims are settled, how children learn about race and how colonialism becomes a habit of mind. Maps don't just show us information—they help construct our world. Brimming with vibrant maps, including many "radical" maps created by Rankin himself and by other cutting—edge mapmakers, Radical Cartography exposes the consequences of how maps represent boundaries, layers, people, projections, color, scale, and time. Challenging the map as a tool of the status quo, Rankin empowers listeners to embrace three unexpected values for the future of cartography: uncertainty, multiplicity, and subjectivity. Changing the tools—changing the maps—can change the questions we ask, the answers we accept, and the world we build.

1146980773
Radical Cartography: How Changing Our Maps Can Change Our World
A thought—provoking exploration of how maps shape our understanding of the world

Cartographer and historian William Rankin argues that it's time to reimagine what a map can be and how it can be used. Maps are not neutral visualizations of facts. They are innately political, defining how the world is divided, what becomes visible and what stays hidden, and whose voices are heard. What matters isn't just the topics or the data, but how maps make arguments about how the world works. And the consequences are enormous. A map's visual argument can change how cities are designed and how rivers flow, how wars are fought and how land claims are settled, how children learn about race and how colonialism becomes a habit of mind. Maps don't just show us information—they help construct our world. Brimming with vibrant maps, including many "radical" maps created by Rankin himself and by other cutting—edge mapmakers, Radical Cartography exposes the consequences of how maps represent boundaries, layers, people, projections, color, scale, and time. Challenging the map as a tool of the status quo, Rankin empowers listeners to embrace three unexpected values for the future of cartography: uncertainty, multiplicity, and subjectivity. Changing the tools—changing the maps—can change the questions we ask, the answers we accept, and the world we build.

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Radical Cartography: How Changing Our Maps Can Change Our World

Radical Cartography: How Changing Our Maps Can Change Our World

Radical Cartography: How Changing Our Maps Can Change Our World

Radical Cartography: How Changing Our Maps Can Change Our World

Audio CD(Unabridged)

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Overview

A thought—provoking exploration of how maps shape our understanding of the world

Cartographer and historian William Rankin argues that it's time to reimagine what a map can be and how it can be used. Maps are not neutral visualizations of facts. They are innately political, defining how the world is divided, what becomes visible and what stays hidden, and whose voices are heard. What matters isn't just the topics or the data, but how maps make arguments about how the world works. And the consequences are enormous. A map's visual argument can change how cities are designed and how rivers flow, how wars are fought and how land claims are settled, how children learn about race and how colonialism becomes a habit of mind. Maps don't just show us information—they help construct our world. Brimming with vibrant maps, including many "radical" maps created by Rankin himself and by other cutting—edge mapmakers, Radical Cartography exposes the consequences of how maps represent boundaries, layers, people, projections, color, scale, and time. Challenging the map as a tool of the status quo, Rankin empowers listeners to embrace three unexpected values for the future of cartography: uncertainty, multiplicity, and subjectivity. Changing the tools—changing the maps—can change the questions we ask, the answers we accept, and the world we build.


Product Details

ISBN-13: 9798228794276
Publisher: Tantor
Publication date: 01/27/2026
Edition description: Unabridged
Product dimensions: 5.20(w) x 5.70(h) x (d)
Age Range: 18 Years

About the Author

William Rankin is an associate professor of history at Yale University, where he focuses on the history of mapping and the geographic sciences. Born and raised outside Chicago, he was originally trained as an architect before receiving a dual PhD in the history of science and architecture from Harvard University. In addition to his work as a historian, he is also an award—winning cartographer, and his maps have appeared in numerous books, magazines, and exhibits around the world.

Tim Fannon is an in—demand narrator with a background in film and stage acting.

Table of Contents

Introduction

Chapter One

Boundaries

Chapter Two

Layers

Chapter Three

People

Chapter Four

Projections

Chapter Five

Color

Chapter Six

Scale

Chapter Seven

Time

Conclusion


The Values of Cartography


Acknowledgments


Notes


Image Credits


Index
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