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Photo of Annika Bergman Rosamond. Taken by Annika. Photo.

Annika Bergman Rosamond

Associate Professor | Senior Lecturer

Photo of Annika Bergman Rosamond. Taken by Annika. Photo.

The constitutive power of maps in the Arctic

Kartors konstituerande makt i Arktis

Author

  • Helena Gonzales Lindberg

Summary, in English

As maps are widely used, circulated, and recognised, they have consequences for how people view and understand the world. They mediate political meaning-making and frame the conditions for political alternatives to emerge or to be silenced. In contrast to dominant approaches to the study of the power of maps that consider their political influence on the basis of the intentions of the map-maker, this thesis emphasises the constitutive power of maps and the visual representations prevalent within them. Moreover, it attempts to further conversations between the fields of visual politics and critical cartography by investigating the power of maps in international politics. It does so by developing three theoretical assumptions about the constitutive power effects of maps: cartographic truth-claiming, cartographic naturalisation, and cartographic materialisation. To illustrate and examine these effects, a two-step analytical framework for interpreting and deconstructing maps is presented and applied to the study of three contemporary maps: a world map using the Web Mercator projection, a map of the changes in Arctic sea ice, and a set of two maps depicting the oil and gas potentials in the Arctic. The analysis focuses on the ways in which maps limit and enable certain conceptualisations of ‘the Arctic’ and politics within the region. The thesis concludes by contending that maps perform the political by shaping generally held assumptions about the ‘reality’ of the Arctic, both in terms of its ‘challenges’ and ‘opportunities’, and therefore serving particular interests as well as giving rise to ideas and visions about the region’s future.

Department/s

  • BECC: Biodiversity and Ecosystem services in a Changing Climate
  • Department of Political Science

Publishing year

2019-10-04

Language

English

Publication/Series

Lund Political Studies

Issue

199

Document type

Dissertation

Publisher

Lund University

Topic

  • Political Science

Keywords

  • Maps
  • Power
  • Politics
  • Representation
  • Visual politics
  • Critical cartography
  • the Arctic
  • Google Maps
  • NSIDC
  • USGS
  • kartor
  • makt
  • politik
  • representationer
  • visuell politik
  • kritisk kartografi
  • Arktis
  • Google Maps
  • NSIDC
  • USGS

Status

Published

Research group

  • LUCID - Lund University Centre of Excellence for Integration of Social and Natural Dimensions of Sustainability

Supervisor

  • Annika Bergman Rosamond
  • Maria Hedlund

ISBN/ISSN/Other

  • ISSN: 0460-0037
  • ISSN: 0460-0037
  • ISBN: 978-91-7753-989-6
  • ISBN: 978-91-7753-988-9

Defence date

25 October 2019

Defence time

10:15

Defence place

Eden Auditorium, Allhelgona kyrkogata 14, Lund

Opponent

  • Gunhild Hoogensen Gjørv (Professor)