Digital map of East Salford with transposing depictions of memories of the area. From the MediaCityUK Exhibition at the University of Salford. Source
Maps have been used in ethnographic field research since the emergence of modern ethnographic filed research. Malinowski included “extensive maps, plans and diagrams, illustrating ownership in garden land, hunting and fishing privileges” as one of “the more fundamental documents of ethnographic research” (Malinowski 2014[1922], 49).
However, anthropology’s use of maps for long remained uncritical and overlooked the relations of power involved in the process of cartographical representation (for an exception, look at Pulla (2016) for a brief history of “counter-mapping as an applied practice within anthropology” through the anthropological work of Frank Speck, a student of Franz Boas, on the family hunting territory in early 1900s.)
If used critically and responsibly, maps can help us in our ethnographic research, not only as a method of collecting data or representing the findings of our research, but also as an often participatory methodological tool and a means for activism.
Like other forms of anthropological representation, maps too are not simply neutral means of representing observations. As field researchers, we can use (counter-)mapping as an approach to challenge dominant power structures and narratives by producing alternative maps that represent the perspectives, experiences, and knowledge of people with whom we work. Maps can be used as a methodological tool. Mapping showcases how location shapes one’s identity in connection to historical, geographical, and local surroundings. “Because of its ability to evoke the senses, maps highlight the involuted relationships between self and place and the ways in which self and place are mutually constitutive and relational.” (Powell 2010, 553)
In line with our methodological principles emphasizing collaboration, (counter-)mapping challenges traditional top-down mapping practices. Therefore, if we decide to include mapping as a tool and approach in our ethnographic practices, we may want to consider:
- Power Dynamics: As scholars in the field of critical cartography have shown maps can perpetuate inequalities, erase histories, and enforce dominant narratives. Mapping, in other words, is not a neutral process and traditional maps often reflect the perspectives and interests of those in power. We can use ethnographic (counter-)mapping to expose and challenge these power dynamics by giving voice to marginalized groups and providing alternative spatial representations.
- Community-centered research: as anthropologists we should change our focus to the mapping needs and aspirations of communities with whom we work. We should address their concerns, reclaim their narratives, and provide a platform for their spatial knowledge and lived experiences.
- Participatory Approach: in our ethnographic mapping we can take a participatory research approach, involving community members in the mapping process. This collaborative approach empowers communities and ensures that their perspectives are accurately represented.
- Alternative Representations: In our mapping practices we can employ different mapping techniques, symbols, and visual representations to challenge conventional cartographic conventions. Our maps may incorporate local cultural symbols, traditional knowledge systems, and non-Western spatial concepts to create more inclusive and culturally sensitive maps.
- Empowerment and Activism: Ethnographic maps should be connected to broader social and political movements seeking to empower marginalized communities and challenge oppressive systems. They can serve as a means of resistance, self-determination, and community organizing.
Work Cited
- HarrassMap Team. 2018. “Mapping Sexual Harrassment in Egypt”. kollektiv orangotango+ (eds.) This Is Not an Atlas: A Global Collection of Counter-Cartographies, Bielefeld: transcript Verlag. 126-129.
- Malinowski, Bronislaw. 2014[1922]. Argonauts of the Western Pacific: An Account of Native Enterprise and Adventure in the Archipelagoes of Melanesian New Guinea. London and New York: Routledge
- Powell, Kimberly. 2010. “Making Sense of Place: Mapping as a Multisensory Research Method.” Qualitative Inquiry, 16(7), 539–555.
- Pulla, Siomonn. 2016. “Critical Reflections on (Post)colonial Geographies: Applied Anthropology and the Interdisciplinary Mapping of Indigenous Traditional Claims in Canada during the Early 20th Century.” Human Organization. 75 (4): 289-304.