Maps are territories : science is an atlas : a portfolio of exhibits

Book

Maps are territories : science is an atlas : a portfolio of exhibits / David Turnbull ; with a contribution by Helen Watson with the Yolngu community at Yirrkala.

Turnbull, David, 1943- (Author). Watson, Helen. (Added Author). Deakin University. School of Humanities. Open Campus Program. (Added Author).

Summary:

"The map is not the territory" is a cartographic truism. It means that unless the map is drawn on a mile-to-mile scale and has the same physical characteristics as the territory itself, it cannot be perfectly accurate. But as David Turnbull demonstrates, the map is a metaphor not only for the territory it represents but for the culture that created it. As such, it takes on the meaning of the territory and its importance in that culture.

In this ingenious book, Turnbull challenges common assumptions about the nature of cartography. In each of ten "exhibits" he addresses a seemingly basic concept—that a map is be factually accurate, for example, or that its symbols refer to concrete elements of the landscape—and then illustrates its complexities with maps from Western, Asian, and native cultures, from prehistoric to modern times, accompanied by quotations and historical background. The "exhibits" show how different cultures express their relation to the land, and how those differences ultimately define not only territory but also domination—religious, ideological, cultural, and political.

An ideal introduction to the concepts of cartography, this book teaches not only how to read maps, but how to read them between the lines. -- Amazon

Record details

ISBN: 0226817059
ISBN: 9780226817057
Physical Description: vi, 66 pages : illustrations (some color), maps (some color) ; 22 x 25 cm
Edition: University of Chicago Press ed.
Publisher: Chicago : University of Chicago Press, 1993.

Content descriptions

General Note:: Originally published: Geelong, Vic. : Deakin University, 1989.

"Part of the HUS203/204 Nature and human nature course offered by the School of Humanities in Deakin University's Open Campus Program"--Title page verso.
Bibliography, etc. Note:: Includes bibliographical references (pages 63-65).
Formatted Contents Note:: Maps and Theories -- The Conventional Nature of Maps -- Maps and Pictures -- Bringing the World Back Home -- Aboriginal-Australian Maps -- The Story So Far -- The Function of Maps -- Maps -- A Way of Ordering Knowledge -- Maps -- A Way of Ordering Our Environment -- Maps and Power -- Maps and Theories Concluded.