Abstract
The second episode of the series Maps towards Just Futures examines how maps shaped the modern world during the era of conquest and colonization. Early European cartographers struggled to depict lands they had never seen, while Indigenous maps offered their own visions, often ignored or erased. Advances like portolan charts, the printing press, and the Mercator projection transformed mapmaking into a scientific discipline, yet maps also carried myths, monsters, and colonial stereotypes. They reflected imperial ambitions, justified domination, and obscured Indigenous knowledge that was essential to their creation. Despite destruction, Indigenous influence endures, reminding us that every map tells stories of power, imagination, and contested worlds.
Citation
Pensa, Laura, Scigliano, Federico, and Federico Scigliano. 2024. 'Maps towards Just Futures: Episode 2. Imagined Worlds, Monsters, and Fantasy'. Dispossessions in the Americas. https://dia.upenn.edu/en/content/PensaL005/
