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A Hazy Mirror?
Testing the Reflection of Society in State
Topographic Maps
Alexander J Kent
Department of Geographical and Life Sciences
Canterbury Christ Church University, United Kingdom
alexander.kent@canterbury.ac.uk
Abstract
To what extent do state topographic maps mirror society? If maps are to be
read as 'texts', by their symbolization of the national landscape, topo-
graphic maps should provide a rich and detailed reflection that offers inter-
pretation on many levels. This paper describes an investigation to explore
whether national conditions are intrinsically expressed in official 1:50 000
topographic map symbology. A series of bivariate tests of association are
conducted between the symbologies of 20 European state topographic
maps and a variety of national statistics. Several significant correlations
are found, although these tend to indicate general associations rather than
explicit links. The findings nevertheless suggest state topographic map
symbologies broadly reflect the influence of specifically national circum-
stances, which ultimately have a decisive impact on their design.
1- Background and Objectives
If the rules of society ensure that maps are at least as much an image of the
social order as they are a measurement of the phenomenal world of objects
(Harley 1989, p.7), to what extent do topographic maps 'mirror' society?
Moreover, if studies concerned with maps of the past require an under-
standing of their social context and circumstances of production, can
current topographic maps, as officially-sanctioned 'good views' of the
national landscape (Kent 2008, p.34), offer insights into the societal values
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