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TRANSCRIPT
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.