Alan McConchie
Interesting thread about whether maps show Crimea as part of Ukraine or Russia, and the new term "#Mapaganda" https://journa.host/@timkmak/110865723697433921
Tim Mak (@[email protected])

Attached: 1 image Antonina and her two children escaped #Ukraine last year, evacuating their beloved city of #Kyiv for a safer home in #Germany. But what happened next was like a slap in the face. Her son, eight years old, was enrolled in temporary schooling for refugees – and was given an atlas that took Russia’s side in the conflict. It did not depict #Crimea as part of #Ukraine. The map showed it as part of Russia.

Mastodon
Aug 10, 2023 at 6:05pmWeb
Show threadAlan McConchieAug 10, 2023

I would note however that things get complicated and messy fast: the Mapaganda project has found plenty of egregious examples of pro-Russia maps, but it also accuses cartographers of being pro-Russia even if they show the boundaries around Crimea as disputed or occupied. It's a tricky topic about whether mapping de-facto boundaries and documenting (illegal) claims can be seen as supporting those boundaries and claims.

Update: Mapaganda makes a valid distinction between "disputed" vs "occupied".

Show threadBrad WeedAug 10, 2023
@alan Isn’t #Mapagenda self-referential? Isn’t any act of drawing any border a form of fiction seeking legal validation by a dominant political majority? Every geopolitical map is a drawing with an agenda. Every geopolitical agenda comes with a map.