What is a map
Norman Thrower, an authority on the history of cartography, defines a map as, "A representation, /. usually on a plane surface, of all or part of the earth or some other body showing a group of features in terms of their relative size and position."* This seemingly straightforward statement represents a conventional view of maps. From this perspective, maps can be seen as mirrors of reality.
So what is a map? A map is text. John Pickles, a geographer with interests in social power and maps, suggests:
maps have the character of being textual in that they have words associated with them, that they employ a system of symbols within their own syntax, that they function as a form of writing (inscription), and that they are discursively embedded within broader contexts of social action and power.*
In this view, maps are a form of symbolization, governed by a set of conventions, that aim to communicate a sense of place.
By 2300 BC, Babylonians used clay tablets to record map-like images. ‘’
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ReplyDeletethis is a conventional view and to me implies ordinary street/road maps.
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