A History of the Participatory Map

Authors

Jo GuldiFollow

Publication Date

2017

Abstract

This article tells, for the first time, the story of the history of the participatory map: that is, the many-to-many map-making techniques that most people are familiar with through smartphone apps and Google maps. Archival research in previously untapped archives traces the origins of participatory mapping in subaltern conversations around the world, its embrace in the modern academy and development circles, its place in the World Bank, and its conversion to online formats like Google Maps and Open Street Map. The story begins in surprising places, as international networks in the 1970s began experimenting with many-to-many mapping, their members spanning New Delhi to the Cree tribes of Canada. The article argues that indigenous and postcolonial politics generated techniques for the participatory management of land use that preceded the creation of the many-to-many map online. The article explores how early theories surpassed the radicality of many-to-many mapping as practiced today.

Document Type

Article

Keywords

participatory mapping, participatory research, participatory democracy, indigenous knowledge mapping, cartography, history, economic development

Disciplines

Environmental Education | Geography | History | History of Science, Technology, and Medicine | Sustainability

Notes

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DOI

10.1215/08992363-3644409

Source

Public Culture

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 International License.

Recommended Citation

Guldi, Jo, "A History of the Participatory Map" (2017). History Faculty Publications. 10.
https://scholar.smu.edu/hum_sci_history_research/10