1,721,011 research outputs found
Drawing (on) Cartographic Intimacies
No full textThis chapter provides both a conceptual and practice-based perspective on the ways in which emotions can be grasped, and spatially interpreted, through creative and critical map-centred activities. It also highlights the potential of the cartographic humanities to access inner worlds differently, by enhancing understanding of the psychic, somatic and social dimensions of one’s being through body mapping experiences. Drawing on examples from the HuMaps Lab (Laboratory of Cartographic Humanities) in which undergraduates mapped out both personal and larger public stories by drawing and assembling pieces of literary, visual, lyric and video narratives, the emotional force of mapping is unfolded in the terms of ‘cartographic intimacies’; here, maps are addressed as infrastructures of feelings, deep surfaces that emerge out of visceral emotions but conceived to be shareable with the outside, driving dis-orientations toward—as well as agitation and care for—humans, non-humans, memories, bodies and places
The (Aesth)Ethics of Publishing Geopolitical Maps
No full textThis chapter stems from a decade of ethnographic encounters between the editors of the Handbook of Cartographic Humanities and Laura Canali, designer of geopolitical maps for the popular magazine Limes: Italian Review of Geopolitics and map artist based in Rome. Drawing from a selection of excerpts from those recurring encounters, this conversation unfolds and reflects upon the complexities of the craft of making geopolitical/poetical cartography for different publics, from that of the magazine’s readers to the map/art exhibition’s audience. The idiosyncratic experience of this mapmaker shows how ethnography is a crucial way to investigate the public dimension of cartographic authorship as it is felt by the mapmaker, as well as the decisions, ethical interrogations and precariousness it always implies, particularly in the case of geopolitical maps
The Cartographic Lives of the Italian Fascist Empire
No full textThis chapter examines the pervasive and obsessive circulation of maps during the Italian Fascist Empire, particularly in contexts beyond traditional surveys and expeditions. While Italy’s first attempts at colonization began after its unification in 1861, it was under Mussolini's regime (1922–1943) that a more coherent imperial order was established, shaping cultural, political, economic, and social life. During this period, the relationship between geography and power became more pronounced, with the Fascist state using maps as key tools of empire-building. These maps were not merely geographic representations but were woven into the fabric of everyday life, serving as instruments of propaganda. The chapter argues that the widespread and repetitive circulation of these maps, often in subtle or unconscious ways, played a crucial role in both imagining and enacting the empire. By engaging with the sensory and embodied experiences associated with various forms of mapping—whether physical maps, map-like objects, or everyday interactions with cartographic representations—the author highlights how these tools of imperialism were integrated into daily routines, shaping perceptions and political realities. Ultimately, this study seeks to reveal how cartographic practices during Fascist rule helped sustain imperial power, acting as both vehicles for ideological control and sites of potential resistance.
Firing up map thinking: Music video meta-maps
No full textIn this chapter I propose three music videos as case studies, considering them distinct
‘meta-maps’. I draw this idea from a seminal work by Stoichita (1996; but see also the
concept of ‘metapicture’ in Mitchell, 1994), who wrote about the motif of ‘paintings within
paintings’—including the more specific motif of maps within paintings—in sixteenth- and
seventeenth-century European art. Interestingly, Stoichita viewed this motif as an exercise
of intertextuality (or, we could say, of intermediality): an auto-reflection on different modes
of representation (or media) that produces self-aware images. These ‘meta-paintings’ are
considered by Stoichita as theoretical objects, works on and with the image, as well as
interpretive acts. Inspired by this intermedial possibility, in what follows I perform three
interpretive acts considering music videos as theoretical objects with the potential to provoke
meditations about cartography. None of the videos present to the audience performing
artists; rather, we could say that they present performing maps, which take the stage
and are broadcast while showing different configurations and modes of their existence. These three interpretive acts of music videos’ cartographic morphings engender
three layers of map thinking: a representational (from technical to deconstructive) one, a
post-representational (or emergent and practice-based) one and finally a speculative (phenomenological
and object-oriented) one
Worlds for sale: cartography in print advertisements
No full textThe paper will analyze the use of geographical maps in print advertising aimed at promoting objects and services rather than maps. The realm of advertisement offers a window to understand the shared social imageries about objects. Appearing in advertisements that do not sell maps, cartography shows aesthetic, cognitive, connotative functions. The sample of map-related advertisements that we will take into consideration (limited to the last twenty years) will help to evaluate the social appeal of maps and the role they play in the collective imagery. The paper will also try to introduce a taxonomy of denotative and connotative functions that map can have in this context
[Recensione a:] The Routledge Handbook of Cartographic Humanities Tania Rossetto, Laura Lo Presti (a cura di) Routledge, 2024, pp. 444
No full textIl corposo volume in lingua inglese, curato da Tania Rossetto e Laura Lo Presti e edito da Routledge, prospetta numerose forme cartografiche prodotte nel tempo nell’ambito delle discipline umanistiche a livello internazionale, quale esito di molteplici prospettive culturali. Il volume restituisce centralità alla cartografia nell’alveo delle riflessioni umanistiche attraverso una pluralità di contributi che spaziano dalla geografia all’arte, dalla storia agli studi visuali, dall’antropologia al digitale. L’obiettivo è di mostrare come il sapere cartografico sia all’avanguardia e aperto a un articolato insieme di prospettive disciplinari a livello internazionale, con un cospicuo contributo umanistico in grado di rompere la presunta oggettività della carta geografica e offrire differenti visioni soggettive e discorsive
Introduction: Why Cartographic Humanities?
No full textThe humanities have been part of geographical knowledge and its expression for centuries,
finding in maps and cartographic imaginations useful and intimate companions to reflect
with, challenge and advance new spatial paradigms, methods and metaphors. After the more
recent rise of the ‘spatial turn’ in the arts and humanities and the proliferation of digital
technologies in several cultural domains, new research areas such as spatial digital humanities,
geohumanities, deep mapping and map art, to name a few, have shown that the engagements
of scholars and practitioners with cartography and mapping practices have expanded
further, becoming increasingly diverse and highly mutable. In parallel to the growing fascination
with cartography that arose within various humanistic fields, in the last 15 years, we
have witnessed the emergence of ‘map studies’ as a transversal research area that is strongly
affected by humanistic approaches and methodologies. This area intersects not only more
established traditions such as the history of cartography and critical cartography but also the
multifaceted realm of ‘cultural cartography’ (Cosgrove, 2008). The Routledge Handbook of
Cartographic Humanities is precisely designed to explore the intersection and convergence
between cultural map studies and the humanities, expressing multifaceted traditions and
inclinations coming from different disciplinary, geographical and cultural contexts
Soggetti, gruppi, persone: Pratiche, spazi e dinamiche delle mobilità umane
No full textIl rapporto tra geografia e mobilità umana trova nei processi e nelle interazioni spaziali di soggetti, gruppi e persone il suo punto di riferimento più immediato. Parlare di mobilità «umana» significa infatti ragionare su un ampio ventaglio di pratiche, spazi e dinamiche che intercorre tra la geografia – ampiamente intesa nelle sue forme di paesaggio, luogo, territorio, spazio, confine, frontiera, città, spazio digitale – e le micro- e macro-mobilità che coinvolgono le dimensioni privata e pubblica, individuale e collettiva, con un particolare interesse per gli aspetti materiali, socio-politici, economici, simbolici ed esperienziali che caratterizzano tali processi.
Partendo dalla triangolazione tra soggetto, movimento e spazio e dalle loro possibili declinazioni, il Nodo 3 si è dunque posto come occasione di ascolto e cassa di risonanza di una polifonia di voci. Il suo obiettivo è stato quello di mettere a fuoco il fenomeno della mobilità umana nella sua complessità, attraverso diverse lenti concettuali ed approcci metodologici trasversali ai singoli temi analizzati. I temi delle otto sessioni del Congresso Geografico afferenti al Nodo 3 e della sessione internodo promossa dall’Associazione Italiana Insegnanti di Geografia – qui inserita per maggiore affinità tematica – hanno infatti abbracciato – e felicemente integrato –
approcci multi-scalari e trans-scalari delle geografie in movimento, promuovendo dense riflessioni a partire da fulcri teorici attinenti alla geografia politica, economica, regionale, sociale e culturale
Geografia e mobilitazione: esplorazioni sui movimenti collettivi fra spazio fisico e spazio mediatico (SGP 8)
No full textQuali che siano le sfide dei movimenti collettivi, è opportuno analizzarne la dimensione spaziale. La geografia (sociale), con la sua specifica impostazione, può dare il suo contributo alla comprensione e/o partecipazione a tali movimenti.
Gli eventi che essi organizzano si svolgono da qualche parte e va dunque compreso il contesto spazio-temporale. Persino i movimenti nati sui social si materializzano - in certi momenti - in luoghi precisi: il movimento delle sardine, quello dei gilets gialli.
Inoltre, ogni aspetto di un movimento contiene una dimensione spaziale: l’organizzazione, il bacino d’influenza, le tipologie di appropriazione collettiva dello spazio - pubblico o privato, aperto o chiuso - (da Occupy Wall Street, all’occupazione di fabbriche, dalla strada ai tetti), l'impiego del corpo in quanto tale (performances di gruppo – cfr. “Non Una Di Meno”).
La dimensione spaziale può anche essere influenzata da come i movimenti sono rappresentati nello spazio mediatico e dai processi di delegittimazione, criminalizzazione e relativi opposti. Infatti, tale rappresentazione, condizionando la percezione individuale e collettiva, influenza i comportamenti sul piano spaziale sia dei movimenti, sia di chi non ne ha conoscenza diretta.
Infine, i movimenti affrontano oggi le sfide imposte dalle restrizioni della pandemia che li obbligano a trasformarsi. Tale crisi apre dunque nuovi interrogativi sulle pratiche di mobilitazione.
Si attendono casi studio ma anche contributi più incentrati sugli aspetti teorici
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