ALL Maps Distort…

• Distance, or• Direction, or• Shape, or• A combination of the above.

Map Projections of a Human

Head

But who decides which projection

to use?

Mercator Projection • One of the first

projections

• Parallel lines (better for navigation)

• Distortion toward poles (Greenland), therefore Northern hemisphere appears “larger”

• Eurocentric?

• Equal area: Accurate relative sizes of every land mass• 1974 (new)• Political Controversy• Focuses on “Global South”

Peters Projection

Robinson Projection

•“Neutral?”•Good “visual” (not navigational) representation•Not proportional

Maps and Power.• Therefore, all maps are representations of power:

– The power of the mapmaker– The power of the country / authority behind the

mapmaker– The power of one culture representing another culture

and its cultural space– The power to choose what is and is NOT represented on

the map and in what form– No map is inherently “neutral,” “value-free,” or

“scientifically impartial”6

Colonial Empires 1763

7

Colonial Empires 1815

8

Colonial Possessions 1914

9

Northern Ireland (Catholics vs. Protestants)

• Same race, language

• Different religion? Ethnicity?

• Protestant majority for staying in U.K.; Catholic minority for joining Ireland.

Colonialism in the Middle East• 1948: Israel (re)created by U.N.*• In a mostly Arabic region, most reject /

resent the decision by Western countries to assist in the creation of Israel in what they consider their homeland (culturally, historically, religiously) for ~3,000 years

Palestinian Newspaper

• Jewish State (Israel)

• Arab State (Palestine)

• International Zone (Jerusalem)

1948: UN Partition Plan

Jerusalem:Holy City to Jews, Muslims, and Christians

20th Century History of Israel / Palestine

Question:• Is this a religious / cultural issue?• Or is it a political issue?

Muslims in the U.S.

Judaism in the U.S.