HomeCartography Trouble

Cartography Trouble

Trouble dans la cartographie

Disturbio en la Cartografía

Das Unbehagen der Kartografie

Counter-cartographies and paradigm shifts

Contre-cartographies et changements de paradigmes

Contracartografías y cambios de paradigma

Gegenkartografien und Paradigmenwechsel

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Published on Tuesday, November 18, 2025

Abstract

Together we want to sketch the contours of today's alternative cartographic dynamics and understand what they say about the contemporary challenges to cartography.

Announcement

Call for papers

The colloquium will take place from 7 to 9 September 2026 in Paris.

It is organised by Sorbonne University's Médiation-s - Sciences des lieux, sciences des liens geography research unit, the Pléiade multidisciplinary research center of the UFR Lettres, Langues, Sciences humaines et des Sociétés of Sorbonne Paris Nord University, and by the Comité national français de géographie (CNFG) in partnership with the Bibliothèque nationale de France (BnF), National Institute of Geographic and Forest Information (IGN), and the Diplomatura de Pregrado en Prácticas Cartográficas en América Latina.

Argument

The challenges of cartography today

Cartography is closely linked to the exercise of power. Empires, churches, trading companies and states used it as a tool to control territories and spaces. Cartographers were required to map agricultural land on a large scale, and roads, cities and coasts on a small scale. The semiology of maps was defined according to their importance for speculation or extractivism. Today, among the many layers of technical maps of geomatics, the primary concerns of administrations are evident: networks, property rights, areas slated for development, and zones that require protection. 

In the academic world, cartography has become increasingly codified and standardised, leading to an increasingly narrow semiotic. From primary school to engineering training, a strict learning protocol is used to teach what is important and worthy of mapping, in a hierarchical order. In the 21st century of digitalisation and the platform economy,  networked humanity—consciously or not— continuously produces information that not only characterizes places but also gives them value. This raises the question of the effects of permanent geopositioning, which works into the hands of private operators who commercialise travel, tastes and desires. These new maps are no longer merely decision-making tools; they guide and influence users’ perceptions and emotions through increasingly advanced algorithms.

Maps are used for the purpose of the great transformation of the world. The impacts of infrastructure projects on existing entities—whether human, non-human, or environmental—are often accepted without hesitation.. This cartographic violence is also evident in the omission of certain realities from official maps, raising the profound issue of cartographic ‘recognition’.

The ‘deconstruction of maps’ has long since uncovered the power issues that underlie cartography. Today, the production and use of maps are under renewed scrutiny. With geographic information systems (GIS) and digitisation, geovisualization has, in many cases, supplanted traditional cartography. Data is at the centre of the creation and analysis process. Database maintenance takes up the majority of geomaticians' time, with the graphic part of their work being carried out by simplified software that impoverishes cartographic semiology in the name of a constant process of rationalisation. At the same time, professionals are overwhelmed by the sheer volume of cartographic data and the fragmentation of geographical knowledge. This also affects the political decision-making processes within territorial administrations.

The need for a new form of cartography is becoming increasingly tangible. This raises fundamental questions about the public interest and the role of communities, as cartography should engage all societal stakeholders. It should serve as a foundation for dialogue and action, supporting spatial planning and governance. The democratisation of cartographic techniques and the opening of data within new digital geocommunities should foster the development of shared practices.

What are counter-cartographies?

The most striking phenomenon in this respect is counter-cartography. Be it critical, radical, militant cartography, there are countless names for approaches that attempt to establish ‘cartographic justice’. They move away from the norms of conventional cartography in relation to objects or forms and give rise to a critical polyphony. The term counter-cartography, borrowed from terms such as counter-discourse, counter-hegemony and counter-power, aims to formulate a different view of the world. Due to the diversity of their motivations and forms of expression, they are pluralistic in the truest sense of the word: we are dealing with counter-cartographies.

A growing number of committed actors have discovered a field of exploration through this kind of mapping. The humanities have taken up this topic and begun to question certain paradigms of cartography. This often happens in the context of action-orientated research projects that take a critical approach to social constellations and aim to change them.

Counter-cartographies can therefore not be reduced to a tool in the political struggle and the question arises as to how their impact on both politics and research should be assessed. In order to answer this, the question must be extended to cartography as a whole. Its positivist assumption, its performative power, its mechanisms of production and dissemination need to be reassessed.

Because counter-cartographies disrupt the map scales, they also raise the question of the interweaving of power relations. This is due to the fact that they emphasize valorise the subjectivity of the individual, their affects and their empirical experience of territory and space. They operate in everyday life and at the local level, but also involve regional, national or global levels of power, where the political and economic decisions that determine people's lives and their environment are made.

This political approach generates a certain reluctance to recognising the usefulness of counter-maps for gaining additional information about the socio-spatial practices of human communities. The term counter-cartography and its militant connotation also expose counter-maps to accusations of one-sidedness and amateurism. It may be that these tensions stem from a sense of the losing the primacy of expertise, or from the difficulty of questioning the foundations of the established technical and scientific ecosystems of knowledge production and validation, systems inherited from hierarchical and unequal societies.

Perhaps here we are touching on a more fundamental problem than might appear: one that concerns the technical dynamics that define the canons of cartographic production. Shouldn't we be concerned with scientific engineering and the continuous increase in the performance of tools? Doesn't the growing importance of counter-cartography point to the beginning of an epistemological expansion of research, an approach that initially makes room for divergences at the heart of the cartographic discipline itself? So how can the new concepts and methods that bear witness to these paradigm shifts be recognised and evaluated? Furthermore, is it possible to define a new cartographic ethics?

Questions and perspectives

In order to approach these questions, we aim to initiate an epistemological debate based on the selected contributions and relate their perspectives by inviting practitioners and theorists of cartography and counter-cartography to engage in dialogue. Geography, history, philosophy, sociology, anthropology, political science, statistics, art, etc. will intersect their findings with those of cartographic disciplines ranging from geomatics and infographics to militant actions.

Young researchers, PhD students, postdoctoral researchers and anyone involved in research involving cartography and counter-cartographies are invited to contribute to ongoing projects or current research perspectives.

This meeting is intended to be a moment of exchange with counter-cartographers. In the run-up to our meeting, workshops are planned, some of which will be open to participants during the weekend of 5 and 6 September.

The colloquium is also open to professionals such as local policymakers who work with maps on a daily basis.

Together we want to sketch the contours of today's alternative cartographic dynamics and understand what they say about the contemporary challenges to cartography. The theory and practice of cartographies and counter-cartographies will be put to the test in the light of their contrasts:

  • Historical perspective and counter-history of cartography
  • Teaching, didactics and training
  • Public uses of cartography in urban and spatial planning
  • Critical feminist, ecological and postcolonial approaches
  •  Militant practices
  • Visual philosophy, semiotics, cartographic aesthetics and mediatisation
  • Experience-based, sensitive cartographies of everyday life, ideas and the imaginary
  • Cartographies and transitional justice, memory, recognition and struggles.

Practical modalities

Contributions

The colloquium is open to two types of contributions:

  • theoretical analyses
  • field reports

These contributions can be presented in two forms:

  • a scientific paper, in the form of a text to be discussed at thematic sessions,
  • a poster accompanied by a presentation note. The poster will be exhibited in the Cordeliers cloister and the teams will be invited to discuss their approaches during dedicated round table sessions.

Submision guidelines

Proposals should take the form of a long note of intent of between 5,000 and 10,000 characters setting out the context of the study, the methodological approaches, the results and 5 to 10 bibliographical references in accordance with APA standards. Iconographic material will be particularly appreciated.

Deadline for abstract and letters of intent submissions: 1 December 2025

Conference proceedings are planned for publication.

Coordination

  • Goeury David, CNFG, Médiations, HES-SO Genève
  • Salamanca Carlos, Diplomatura Prácticas Cartográficas en América Latina, Instituto de Geografía, Universidad de Buenos Aires
  • Zwer Nepthys, Imagomundi

Steering committee

  • Gramond Delphine, Médiations, Sorbonne Université.
  • Leininger-Frezal Caroline, CNFG, Laboratoire de Didactique André Revuz, Université Paris Diderot
  • Luxembourg Corinne, Pléiade, Université Sorbonne Paris Nord

Scientific committee

  • Aboulhosn Lama, Pléiade, Université Sorbonne Paris Nord
  • Baeza Soto Juan, Pléiade, Université Sorbonne Paris Nord
  • Barbe Frédéric, éditions à la criée, Nantes
  • Berg Lawrence, University of British Columbia
  • Bertuzzo T. Elisa, Urban Studies
  • BEUF Alice Amandine, Departamento de Geografía. Facultad de Ciencias Humanas, Universidad Nacional de Colombia
  • Boushaki Feriel, Pléiade, Université Sorbonne Paris Nord
  • Carcano Thibaut, Médiations
  • De Matos Machado Rémi; Médiations, Sorbonne Université
  • Deloget Cyprien, Médiations, Sorbonne Université
  • Dervieux Zenaïde, Pléiade, Université Sorbonne Paris Nord
  • Desjardins Xavier, Médiations, Sorbonne Université
  • Deville Damien, Médiations
  • Dubucs Hadrien, Médiations, Sorbonne Université
  • Duggan Michael, King’s College London
  • Duplan Karine, UNIGE
  • Feyt Grégoire, PACTE
  • Forriez Maxime, Médiations, Sorbonne Université
  • Garcia Carballo. Ángela, Departamento de Geografía, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid,
  • Garcia Sanchez Andrés, Diplomatura Prácticas Cartográficas en América Latina (UNR-PUJ)
  • Hirt Irène, UNIGE
  • Joublot-Ferre Sylvie, UQAM
  • Khelifi Lilia, Institut Conjoint des Universités de Ningbo (Chine) et d’Angers, ESTHUA (Faculté de Tourisme, Culture et Hospitalité) ; UMR CNRS 6590 ESO-Angers
  • Leininger-Frezal Caroline, CNFG, Laboratoire de Didactique André Revuz, Université Paris Diderot
  • Louer-SAINGEORGIE PIERRE, MEDIATIONS, SORBONNE UNIVERSITE
  • Mermet Anne-Cécile, Médiations, Sorbonne Université
  • Milhaud-Samarina Olivier, Médiations, Sorbonne Université
  • Moline Marie-Alix, Médiations
  • Moriniaux Vincent, Médiations, Sorbonne Université
  • Nest Günter, Habitat Forum Berlin
  • Novak Maceij, Médiations, Sorbonne Université
  • Ospina Mesa Cesar Andrés, Diplomatura Prácticas Cartográficas en América Latina (UNR-PUJ)
  • Parizot Cédric, Cnrs/Iremam
  • Pedrazzani Carla, Diplomatura Prácticas Cartográficas en América Latina (UNR-PUJ)
  • Preci Alberto, Médiations, Sorbonne Université
  • Ramadier Thierry, SAGE /Crad
  • Sermier François, Conseiller municipal
  • Sierra Philippe, APHG
  • Tissandier Patrice, Passages
  • Todorov Nicola, Université Guyane
  • Trouillet Agnès, CREA UR 370, Université Paris Nanterre
  • Tutor Anton Aritz, Departamento de Geografía, Prehistoria y Arqueología Universidad del País Vasco

Places

  • Campus des Cordeliers de Sorbonne Université Paris, 15 rue de l'École-de-médecine 75006 Paris
    Paris, France (75)

Event attendance modalities

Hybrid event (on site and online)


Date(s)

  • Monday, December 01, 2025

Keywords

  • cartographie, histoire, critique, citoyenneté

Contact(s)

  • David Goeury
    courriel : contrecarto [at] sciencesconf [dot] org

Information source

  • David Goeury
    courriel : contrecarto [at] sciencesconf [dot] org

License

CC0-1.0 This announcement is licensed under the terms of Creative Commons CC0 1.0 Universal.

To cite this announcement

« Cartography Trouble », Call for papers, Calenda, Published on Tuesday, November 18, 2025, https://doi.org/10.58079/155zb

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