By Janine M. Schall, University of Texas Rio Grande Valley
Where are we in the world? How do we get someplace new? How do we perceive the world—or how do we want the world to be perceived? How does one place or idea connect to another? These are all essential questions for how people experience and move through the world, and they can all be answered by maps.
A map is a symbolic depiction of interrelationships between places, things or ideas. While they often focus on spatial relationships and geographic elements, both real and imagined, maps can also be used to display associations between ideas or concepts. Maps are tools to help us navigate and understand the world but are shaped by the map-maker’s culture, beliefs, and knowledge. As such, they are statements about what matters and what does not. Continue reading