The Rhetoric of Maps

The Basics on Maps

Great reading on Maps & Rhetoric: "Writing with Maps."

Maps are metaphors. Maps are not the actual land features, rather they are representations of these features. As representations, they are always created from a position of culture, bias, and values. In short, maps (and all types of logos) are rhetorical.

Even maps that strive for accuracy of say Africa, can never be Africa itself. One could never take in the whole of Africa in a single moment; a view from land is only of a specific place from a specific direction; a view from the air obscures the people, formations, plants, and animals below. As Samuel Ichiye Hawayaka says succinctly in Language in Thought and Action, “The first of the principles governing symbols is this: The symbol is not the thing symbolized; the word is not the thing; the map is not the territory it stands for” (19). While people can strive for objectivity and accurate descriptions of reality and experience, these descriptions can never be complete, universal, or divorced from the sign systems within which they work.

Group Work

To learn how to recognize the underlying message and values of maps, analyze the following New Orleans maps. What do you notice about each? What is prominent? What is hidden or deemphasized? Who do you think the target audience for the map is? What purpose do you think the map is used for?

In-Class Writing

At the end of class, students write on the following topic for about 10 minutes: Which map of New Orleans do you think is the "best"? You can define "best" in any way you choose: clearest, most useful for a certain activity, most encompassing, most representative, etc. You may also choose to compare the "best" map to the "worst" map in your mind. What makes one stronger than the other?

More Unique Maps

A Sample of Geopolitical Anomalies: This map draws attention to the way that maps encourage students to think of space (often wrongly) as isolated nations.
40 Maps that Will Help You Make Sense of the World: Includes unique cultural maps such as McDonalds Across the World and Paid Maternity Leave Across the World
Geography of Hate: Geotagged Hateful Tweets in the United States: The map tracks the use of certain slur terms for homosexuals, racial minorities, and individuals with disabilities.