Radical Cartography - by William Rankin (Hardcover)

Book Synopsis

"This is it: the full download from a true genius of cartography. Radical Cartography will make you see maps, and, indeed, your place on the planet, with fresh eyes."--Daniel Immerwahr, author of How to Hide an Empire.

A stunning, thought-provoking exploration of how maps shape our understanding of the world--featuring over 150 full-color maps in a gorgeous package

Maps are ubiquitous in contemporary life­­--not just for navigation, but for making sense of our society, our environment, and even ourselves. In an instant, huge datasets can be plotted on command and we can explore faraway places in exacting detail. Yet the new ease and speed of data mapping can often lead to the same results as ever: over-simplified maps used as tools for top-down control.

Cartographer and historian William Rankin argues that it's time to reimagine what a map can be and how it can be used. Maps are not neutral visualizations of facts. They are innately political, defining how the world is divided, what becomes visible and what stays hidden, and whose voices are heard. What matters isn't just the topics or the data, but how maps make arguments about how the world works. And the consequences are enormous. A map's visual argument can change how cities are designed and how rivers flow, how wars are fought and how land claims are settled, how children learn about race and how colonialism becomes a habit of mind. Maps don't just show us information--they help construct our world.

Brimming with vibrant maps, including many "radical" maps created by Rankin himself and by other cutting-edge mapmakers, Radical Cartography exposes the consequences of how maps represent boundaries, layers, people, projections, color, scale, and time. Challenging the map as a tool of the status quo, Rankin empowers readers to embrace three unexpected values for the future of cartography: uncertainty, multiplicity, and subjectivity. Changing the tools--changing the maps--can change the questions we ask, the answers we accept, and the world we build.

Review Quotes

"Striking... Rankin argues for a "radical" approach to cartography that not only spotlights marginalized groups but also is "less well-behaved," embracing noise and messiness ... Lavishly illustrated with maps and photographs, this stuns."-- Publishers Weekly, starred review

"This is it: the full download from a true genius of cartography. Radical Cartography will make you see maps, and, indeed, your place on the planet, with fresh eyes."--Daniel Immerwahr, author of How to Hide an Empire

"A fearless, fascinating examination of how maps shape our worldview. This revolutionary text strips away the myth of cartographic neutrality, revealing the power structures embedded in every contour line and choice of color."--Gareth Cook, Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and former series editor of Best American Infographics

"A groundbreaking and fascinating work, Radical Cartography brings the human back into geography. This is a timely and significant intervention that provides essential tools for challenging authoritative--and authoritarian--voices."--Paul Richardson, author of Myths of Geography

"Rankin interrogates the very concept of a map, while also showing us how its various elements shape our understanding of reality. Through his attention to both the big picture and consequential details, we see mapmaking in all its complexity: messy, necessary, and full of promise."--Susan Schulten, author of A History of America in 100 Maps

"A must-read for anyone looking at a map! This is an important plea for more empathy in cartography."--Sarah Rendgen, author of Information Graphics

"A significant addition to the literature on cartography, this book systematically demonstrates that the graphics of maps are their argument. Readable and engaging, Rankin's work expands the possibilities of cartographic representation."--Johanna Drucker, author of Inventing the Alphabet

"As rigorous as it is accessible, Radical Cartography offers a brilliant and imaginative approach to 'mapping differently.' Rankin establishes that mapping can be urgent and compelling, with the potential to illuminate vexing social and theoretical problems and, ultimately, to save lives."--Michael Ralph, author of Forensics of Capital

"Since the turn of this computer-generated century, William Rankin has been jolting cartographers out of ruts, inviting them to question defaults and see the world anew. In this essential volume, he gave me a good shake once more."--Oliver Uberti, coauthor of Atlas of the Invisible

About the Author

William Rankin is an associate professor of history at Yale University, where he focuses on the history of mapping and the geographic sciences. Born and raised outside Chicago, he was originally trained as an architect before receiving a dual PhD in the history of science and architecture from Harvard University. In addition to his work as a historian, he is also an award-winning cartographer, and his maps--available at www.radicalcartography.net--have appeared in numerous books, magazines, and exhibits around the world.