What cartographies are we, geographers, (re)producing?

Abstract

Maps change along with society. The forms and processes of mapping are mutable and allow us to understand the world from the perspective of the society that maps it. This text proposes a theoretical reflection on Cartographies, based on cartographic productions created by artists, collectives, activists, and children, which decenter the perspective from hegemonic Cartographies and begin to represent and signify from other angles. They invite us to consider: how does the map live and transform in contemporaneity? Considering mapping as a social, political, and expressive practice, we discuss how these productions challenge hegemonic Cartography in Geography. Based on Critical Cartography, the reflections presented here stem from the activities of Laboratory of Teaching and Research in Geography and Humanities at the Federal University of Santa Maria (UFSM) and seek to reflect on Cartography(ies) within geographical science. This is not about hierarchizing or conceptualizing maps, but about broadening the theoretical debate and the understanding of how mappings convey fragments of geographical reality through the eyes of those who map. To this end, we present four Cartographies that have provoked reflections and demonstrated the expressive potential of maps. It is concluded that, today, maps need to go beyond the limits of the hegemonic bringing to the surface other Cartographies and other meanings of and for the world.