Why Maps Matter
Maps—whether they are on paper or online—have become ubiquitous. While maps used to be the purview of a trained cadre of experts and came about with the rise of the nation-state, mapping practices have increasingly become democratized. Now everyone with mapping software and an internet connection can engage in map-based activism and put forth particular geopolitical visions. Maps produced in a conflict region like Israel/Palestine exemplify how various top-down and bottom-up mapping practices speak to how maps can become part of map wars over how to present a territory and its boundaries. Israel/Palestine’s map wars also exemplify how visual rhetoric can become a powerful tool in the war of maps. In order to trace the social history of mapping practices in Israel/Palestine we use various theoretical tools drawn from Science and Technology Studies, sociology, and geography and we draw on archival material, in-depth interviews, and ethnographies to trace the historical significance of maps in Israel/Palestine.