The Postcritical Critique of Critical Cartography and the Neopragmatist Redescription of Cartography
摘要
This chapter deals with the postcritical critique of critical cartography and the neopragmatist redefinition of cartographic approaches. While critical cartography deconstructs traditional cartography as power-bound and ideological, it itself remains stuck in dichotomous patterns of thought by drawing a clear distinction between “powerful cartographers” and “powerless laypeople”. Neopragmatist cartography starts here by recognizing the social constructedness of maps on the one hand, but going beyond pure deconstruction on the other. Instead of a radical departure from traditional cartographic approaches, it advocates a redescription that integrates both traditional and critical elements in order to make maps usable as tools for solving practical problems. Neopragmatism views cartographic practices as historically evolved but changeable forms of expression that must always be evaluated in their respective contexts. Power is not only understood as restrictive, but also as productive. The transparency of cartographic decisions, the consideration of the context dependency of maps and the conscious reflection on their design are central principles of this approach. The chapter illustrates this perspective using practical examples and discusses the potential of redesigning cartographic representations in a neopragmatist sense.