Mapping as a Critical Practice

Mapping is not only a visual practice of territorial or spatial representation or a tool for navigation—it is a way of constructing knowledge, defining and controlling space, and marking power and resistance. Since Babylonian times, maps have shaped our understanding of the world. Maps don't just reflect reality—they shape it, influencing how we perceive space and reinforcing dominant ideologies.

This course critically examines the evolution of cartographic thought, asking: Why do we make maps? Who has the right to make maps? What is included—and what is excluded? What are the techniques of representation? Maps create the illusion of an all-seeing, objective perspective, allowing us to look down on land and territory.

Maps have long been used to reinforce geopolitical power structures and shape perceptions of ownership. They have been characterized by a colonial gaze, where cartography has been not only used to document territories but also to claim, exploit, and govern them. One of the world's most widely used map projections, Mercator, is known for providing the most practical solution for navigation while simultaneously constructing new colonial trade routes. But there are other(ed) cartographies. From indigenous mapping initiatives to radical cartographic interventions, the course will also explore how maps can function as tools of resistance, advocacy, and collective memory, offering alternative ways to land and territory. Besides a critical reflection on cartography as a state-controlled or institutional technique, the course will be combined with a practical component, where participants will engage in critical mapping exercises, examining alternative approaches that challenge conventional representations of space. By experimenting with contemporary mapping practices, students will learn about fluid, participatory, and tactical tools to visualize marginalized perspectives, document lived experiences, and contest dominant spatial narratives. They will explore Weimar as a site of investigation, analyzing archival materials, reinterpreting existing spatial data, and producing alternative maps and perspectives on Weimar's conventional representations. Through discussions and exercises, participants will explore mapping practices as a medium for visual research and storytelling. The objective is to keep maps as spaces of negotiation that will continuously evolve as an integral part of the course until the end of the semester.

Yelta Köm