Join us for this Yale historian’s thought-provoking presentation about how maps shape our understanding of the world and the discussion following focused on his stunning new work including over 150 full-color maps.

Maps are ubiquitous in contemporary life, used not just for navigation, but for making sense of our society, our environment, and even ourselves. In an instant, huge datasets can be plotted, and we can explore faraway places in exacting detail. Maps are not neutral visualizations of facts. They are innately political, defining how the world is divided, what becomes visible and what stays hidden, and whose voices are heard—they don’t just show us information, they help construct our world. Brimming with vibrant maps, including many created by the author and by other cutting-edge mapmakers, Radical Cartography exposes the consequences of how maps represent boundaries, layers, people, projections, color, scale, and time. Cartographer and historian William Rankin argues that it’s time to reimagine what a map can be and how it can be used. Don’t miss his presentation and conversation with map expert Ian Spangler."

William Rankin is a historian of science at Yale University, where he focuses on the history of mapping and the geographic sciences. Born and raised outside Chicago, he was originally trained as an architect before receiving a dual PhD in the history of science and architecture from Harvard. In addition to his work as a historian, he is also an award-winning cartographer, and his maps have appeared in numerous books, magazines, and exhibits around the world.

Ian Spangler is Associate Curator of Digital & Participatory Geography at the Leventhal Map and Education Center at Boston Public Library. He is a cultural and economic geographer with interests in digital mapping, housing studies, and race and landscape in the United States. He earned his BA in English and Geography from the University of Mary Washington, and his MA and PhD in Geography from the University of Kentucky.

Presented in partnership with the Leventhal Map and Education Center at Boston Public Library