[Kirsten Ashley Bussière]

I am currently working on a project that involves digitally mapping contemporary post-apocalyptic spaces from Speculative Fiction. I was wondering if anyone knows of any useful articles or books on the tradition of maps in Speculative and Science Fictions. Any recommendations welcome! Thank you!

I would also love to discuss this further if anyone is has similar interests.

[Dana Gavin]

I am so interested in this topic — thank you for introducing it!

You are probably well familiar with this online article, but I found it really helpful to get myself situated: https://bookriot.com/2015/09/02/making-maps-books-two-cartographers-tell-us-done/

I find the idea of the back-and-forth between the map-makers and the authors really interesting.

Have you already read Here Be Dragons: Exploring Fantasy Maps and Settings b<span class=”addmd”>y Stefan Ekman? I’ve only skimmed but I hope to do a deeper dive, especially if you recommend it.</span>

[Kirsten Ashley Bussière]

Thank you for your helpful response! I actually have not looked at the article or book that you mentioned. My previous research took me to Robert J. Tally’s comments on Cognitive Mapping, in <i>Utopia in the Age of Globalization </i>David Harvey’s Spaces of Hope both of which are less about maps per-se but rather a discussion of the geopolitical aspects of utopian texts.  Thank you!

[Dana Gavin]

One of the notes I made as I was thinking about your original query is the ethics of map-making (of imaginary worlds as well as “real” ones). It sounds like both Tally and Harvey might be helpful with that? I’m thinking about my own biases as I try to make up my own maps, assumptions, that sort of thing. Have you run into any of those issues in your readings?

[Kirsten Ashley Bussière]

Tally and Harvey do have some good comments on mapmaking in relation to the geopolitical implications of maps in general. There is also  chapter 11: “Utopia of the Map” in Utopics: Spatial Play by Louis Marin that discusses the map as a model of its object but also a double of the Empire as a global institution.

You might also be interested in “Mapping” by Diana S. Sinton from Digital Pedagogy in the Humanities, which discusses the act of creating maps as well as the use of maps for teaching and learning.

 
<h3></h3>

[Joe Hoffman]

This may sound weird, but the only SF work I can think of in which a map drives the action is Starman Jones. Maps are a much bigger deal in fantasy.

[Kirsten Ashley Bussière]

Maps and fantasy definitely are more common! If you know any theoretical articles associated with that it would likely be helpful as well. I’m working on a project where I digitally map post-apocalyptic spaces and I am trying to situate my work in the context of literary maps, more specifically utopias and science fiction, but discussions of maps in other genres might be a good resource.

[Ben Carver]

I’ve just attended a conference in Aarhus, where Elly McCausland presented on unreliable maps in Children’s adventure fiction, from her current monograph project. Another genre where maps proliferate is invasion fiction. Childers’ Riddle of the Sands is impossible to read without referring to the 2 (3?) accompanying maps.

[Author]

Posts