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PaperclipPerfector  7hr ago (text post)   190 thread views

Transnational Thursday for September 10, 2026

Transnational Thursday is a thread for people to discuss international news, foreign policy or international relations history. Feel free as well to drop in with coverage of countries you’re interested in, talk about ongoing dynamics like the wars in Israel or Ukraine, or even just whatever you’re reading.

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It doesn't make sense to me why area should be the key ontological factor for deciding which map is best.

The General Assembly says:

Emphasizing that cartographic representations constitute an essential component of geospatial information and have a lasting influence on the perception and understanding of territorial realities on a global scale,

Considering that maps constitute a fundamental educational, scientific and cultural tool that shapes the perception of the world and the collective imagination of peoples,

Recalling the Charter for African Cultural Renaissance, in particular article 3 relating to the rehabilitation and enhancement of African heritage,

Recognizing that certain cartographic distortions of sizes of continents, inherited from history, have contributed to their incorrect perceptions, leading in particular to a symbolic minimization of Africa in collective imaginations and knowledge systems,

leading in particular to a symbolic minimization of Africa in collective imaginations and knowledge systems

Yes, because placing Africa centrally in the most common default maps was a conspiracy to minimize the importance of Africa.

Edit: I realize I should probably have made a clearer point. I am aware of the general argument for why the African Union is arguing for an equal-area projection to be "encouraged." I do not find it convincing that area is the only factor in visual prominence, or that area alone should be the only factor for determining if a map introduces undesirable bias or will promote justice. I seriously think the map being aesthetic is more important, and that quantitative comparisons have better forms. I also think developed-country elementary school classrooms can afford and should have a globe available. Preferably a planimetric globe that can be dismounted from its stand and rotated freely to examine.

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