Free The Map

CLIPS

Borderism - Defining Human Value by Birthplace

The Invisibility of Paper Borders and Cartographic Injustice

The UN Paradox - Born Free and Equal, but Not in Practice

Redefining Maps - Beyond State Borders

FREE THE MAP

Border Professor Henk van Houtum published Free The Map in 2024. He sent it to me whilst I was still living in London last year. Shows how long this has been in the making as I've since migrated to the States. Kind of fitting, given the book frequently mentions the EU migration crisis and problems with EU Frontex maps showing how many come from where. As a key intervention, the book recommends 'counter mapping'. An example of this for the Frontex mapping is Frontex: EU's Deportation Machine:

We began by talking about differences in freedom through passports, here is a link to Passport Index. We also talked about MAGA geography, with this great map from Representative Robert Garcia:

Speaking of geography, I wrote this poem years before meeting Henk:

This is interesting because it reflects his points and was based on raw experiences I'd had at the time traveling through Southeast Asia. A big stimulus for Henk's arguments are these three maps, Fragile States Index, Corruption Perceptions Index and Freedom Map.

We are invited to consider a different perspective on the world and he puts the concept of counter maps before us in response. Examples of counter maps that step outside the gridded world of state cages start with Paul Butler's Facebook map from 2010:

This shows how little boundaries seem to matter, there are vast numbers of connections across national borders. Another great counter mapper is Python Maps. This individual publishes examples like world rivers colored by their hydrological basin.

This is an important type of border that the national borders template map of the world offers no detail on, or importance to. Another from the same source shows CO2 emissions.

Here there is a huge amount of emissions in the sea - a location where national border's don't apply. An effective counter map. We can continue with Al Jazeera's map of the world's oil and gas pipelines. The eye is invited to forget national borders exist.

An interesting example from Science-Metrix Inc is scientific collaborations 2005-9.

This reminds us of the Facebook map with plenty of connections outside nations, but also several tight clusters of nations that collaborations occur across. Finally, if we are going to talk about countermapping and general visualisation beauty, we would be remiss to miss Globaia's incredible video welcoming us to the Antrhropocene.

Finally, I should mention that this was a deeply emotional episode to record for me. As shown in the Free The Map series of testimonial videos about my time across Cambodia and Kuwait, I needed to have this conversation with Henk in order to start to understand what I have witnessed in these terrible places.

It is very helpful to have a book giving voice to what I have as a series of rage filled experiences. It was all summed up on page 39 of the book really.

So it is fitting that this page was shown throughout the video. Thank you Henk for taking the time to write this and to remind us that there is so much more to do than be a shill for national borders.