Free the Map: From Atlas to Hermes: A New Cartography of Borders and Migration

by Henk Van Houtum

Genres: Nonfiction, Politics

199 pages, Paperback

Published March 26, 2024

Reviews

[Mern]

Good curation of maps but I wish there were more unique arguments with them. Also I liked part III and if I ever became a teacher might use one or two of those lesson plans

[Lomme]

Expected this to be way better, interesting read nonetheless. Most of the essay’s at the end of the book are a chop.

[Teun De Graaf]

What an interesting read. This book argues that every map is political. This alone would not be a problem, but the fact that we human beings tend to think all maps are neutral is indeed problematic. Every map tells us a story about the world, while also hiding other stories.
The two main problems Van Houtum describes are that borders are not ‘lines’ but dynamic and that migrants are not red alarming ‘arrows’. These are two wonderful insights that help you better understand the maps you are looking at and how maps really shape political debates. I liked all the alternative maps, but I missed a more constructive essay on how we could literally ‘free the map’ from this premodern way of cartography. Fascinating read nevertheless.