.png){kind=logo}
Radical Cartography
William Rankin
- How can the colours of a map reinforce our biases?
- What does a postcolonial map of the world look like?
- How do indigenous communities use maps to argue for self-determination?
A stunning, thought-provoking exploration of how maps shape our understanding of the world - featuring over 150 beautiful full-colour maps.
'This striking study . . . lavishly illustrated . . . stuns' - Publishers Weekly
‘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
Maps are everywhere. They 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.
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. They are innately political, defining how the world is divided, what becomes visible and what stays hidden, and whose voices are heard.
Brimming with vibrant, radical maps created by Rankin and by other cutting-edge mapmakers, Radical Cartography challenges the map as a tool of the status quo. Changing our maps can change the questions we ask, the answers we accept – and the planet we build.
Product Details
About William Rankin
Reviews for Radical Cartography
Publishers Weekly
Edifying . . . An in-depth, revisionist plunge into the extraordinary world of maps
Kirkus Reviews
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 . . . is essential reading for anyone who’s ever taken a map at face value
Gareth Cook, Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and former series editor of Best American Infographics A significant addition to the literature on cartography . . . Readable and engaging
Johanna Drucker, author of Inventing the Alphabet In Radical Cartography . . . 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 groundbreaking and fascinating work that shatters our cartographic illusions about the world . . . Vividly illustrated and elegantly written
Paul Richardson, author of Myths of Geography As rigorous as it is accessible, Radical Cartography offers a brilliant and imaginative approach to ‘mapping differently.’ In this landmark achievement, William Rankin establishes that mapping can be urgent and compelling
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 and designer of Atlas of the Invisible An impressive guide to how maps can make a difference in how we see the world, Rankin's book will appeal to professional and armchair cartographers alike
Professor James Cheshire, author of The Library of Lost Maps A must-read for anyone looking at a map occasionally! . . . an important plea for more empathy in cartography
Sandra Rendgen, author of Information Graphics