The Power of Projections: How Maps Reflect Global Politics and History

by Arthur Jay Klinghoffer

Why is Europe at the top half of maps and Africa at the bottom? Although we are accustomed to that convention, it is, in fact, a politically motivated, almost entirely subjective way of depicting a ball spinning in space. As The Power of Projections teaches us, maps do not portray reality, only interpretations of it. To begin with, they are two-dimensional projections of a three-dimensional, spherical Earth. Add to that the fact that every map is made for a purpose and its design tends to reflect that purpose. Finally, a map is often a psychological projection of the historical, political, and cultural values of the cartographer―or of the nation, person or organization for which the map was created.
In this fascinating book, Klinghoffer examines the world perceptions of various civilizations and the ways in which maps have been formulated to serve the agendas of cartographers and their patrons. He analyzes the recent decline of sovereignty, the spread of globalization, the reassertion of ethnic identity, and how these trends affect contemporary mapmaking.

Genres: Politics, Nonfiction

192 pages, Hardcover

First published April 30, 2006

Reviews

[Sarah · Rating 2 out of 5]

Obvious Eurocentric bias

[Erok · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was slightly disappointed in this book. The intro does a great job hyping the book, getting you excited to dive in and expand your mind, even comparing the quest to Moses wandering for 40 years to attain enlightenment.

The subject matter was fascinating, however my disappointment came from the presentation. At times his writing style resorted to the out of context list of facts, that were useful in supporting his thesis, but provided for mundane reading. The main thing that i found lacking in the book was the thing that attracted me to it in the first place...maps. They were glaringly absent during discussions about many of the maps that were presented.

The book looks at world relations through a critical geographic lens, sympathetic to, but not necessarily taking a radical or lefty approach. It really boils down to the fact that I was just looking for a bit more of the analysis on how cartography can be politicized to alter how we see things, and less of the analysis on how geography has affected world order, ethnic relations, etc. That I can find presented in a less generalized way somewhere else.

Definitely recommended, it was a quick read with some useful insights and factoids. Just beware of his propensity to "overuse" of quotation marks.