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Judy of the Woods productivity, creativity, sustainability |
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World ViewNovember 29th, 2006
Today I met a woman from South Africa, from the most southern part, she said. Now, I live in the northern hemisphere, and one of the thoughts I subvocalised was 'down the very bottom'. Down the very bottom? Later, thinking about it, I imagined being down there,standing upright without feeling that I was falling off the earth, looking up at the stars, with nothing but sky above me. Yet, if I were to imagine my home, Wales, on the map, it would also be above me, even though it would be well below me physically. How would I feel about standing at the bottom of the world?  Does our world view shape maps? Or do maps shape our world view? Both, I believe. Early cartographers, commissioned by their wealthy secular and religious patrons, would place themselves, or what was perceived to be the most important place at the center of their known universe. Medieval maps show Jerusalem or Mecca at the center. Home - spiritual or otherwise - always is the center of your universe. There would be a practical reason too, they would be most familiar with their immediate geographical neighbors in all directions, though limited in distance. These maps could have south or east at the top, but by the Renaissance, the convention for north at the top became established. With the realization that Earth was a sphere, it would be natural to place the poles top and bottom with the axis of rotation in the vertical position. But why should north, and not south, be placed at the top of the map? I believe hierarchy is the reason. The most important is always placed at the top. What could be more important than the patriarchal 'first world'? I also believe that this has reaffirmed our self importance in the north over the south. Take another look at the maps above. Do you still see the world in the same way? If you live in the southern hemisphere, do you feel that your country's importance has been somewhat raised? If you live in the northern hemisphere, do you now feel a little more marginalized? The effect may be subtle, but undoubtedly contribute to our world view. Posted in ramblings, heresy CommentsEva says:November 29th, 2006 at 05:32 am Hi Judy, Here are some interesting supplements to your map ramblings: http://www.sasi.group.shef.ac.uk/worldmapper/index.html gapminder.org Lots of interesting things can be said with images! Thanks for an interesting website, Eva judyofthewoods says: November 29th, 2006 at 14:26 pm Thank you, Eva, for those links, and your compliment. Those maps certainly show the inequalities of this world. |
