INDIMAP

Crossing scales: A geographical analysis of the transnationalization of indigenous mapping

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 Obiettivo del progetto (Objective)

'How is mapping produced and mobilized by indigenous peoples to defend their political, cultural and territorial rights? That is the question this research in critical cartography and postcolonial geography will seek to answer. It is argued that indigenous mapping strategies are experiencing a process of “globalization” or “transnationalization”, which is part of the general tendency of transnationalization of indigenous political movements since the 1970s. The research will be based on qualitative methods from the social sciences (interviews and participant observation) and a multiscalar analysis of the political, cultural, technological and methodological processes characterizing the production and use of mapping by indigenous peoples. Taking into account the North-South diversity of indigenous realities, the project will concentrate on two research sites: Canada and Bolivia. Canadian indigenous people have been the first to use maps since the 1960s, which allows making an assessment of the impacts of indigenous mapping in the long-term. Bolivia, on the opposite, enables observation of “the making of” indigenous mapping, since it takes place within the recent political changes of the country. Research will be completed by fieldwork in international organizations (United Nations and International Labour Organization), in order to investigate the mechanisms of Bolivian and Canadian indigenous territorial claims and mapping within those institutions. The investigation will contribute to a better understanding not only of the role of cartography in the development of indigenous territorial claims but also of the globalized production and movement of ideas, representations and geographical imaginations related to contemporaneous indigeneity. Indigenous mapping, challenging the political and cultural foundations of modern nation-states and territories, is an essential topic to be studied within the social sciences and European Research.'

Introduzione (Teaser)

A geographical analysis highlights the role mapping plays in the development of indigenous territorial claims in the midst of globalisation.

Descrizione progetto (Article)

Indigenous societies have experienced transnationalisation, or globalisation, for decades. Thus, a better understanding of indigenous people's struggle for cultural and political rights according to territorial claims is needed.

'Crossing scales: A geographical analysis of the transnationalization of indigenous mapping' (INDIMAP) was an EU-funded project that provided a geographical analysis of the mapping used for indigenous populations. The research was based on qualitative methods via interviews and participant observations. It also involved an analysis of the political, cultural and technical processes tied to the use of mapping.

The project scope covered diversity between north-south indigenous societies, consequently focusing on Bolivia and Canada. The two are in sharp contrast. Indigenous people in Canada paved the way, having used maps since the 1960s. This allowed a study of long-term impacts. Bolivia differs with respect to the recent political changes taking place in the country and thus can be studied as a mapping process in the making.

Research on mapping in Bolivia focused on mural maps and atlases of territories in the Bolivian Andes. The maps pioneered the challenge of representing national space while simultaneously proving how complex mapping can be in such territories in terms of geopolitical and social implications.

The main focus for the research in Quebec, Canada was implementing collaborative and intercultural methodologies on hydroelectric dams from an Innu perspective. An elaborate socio-environmental narrative was used to formulate the concept and objectives of the study. This led to a collaborative investigation to examine the impact of the dams.

Although the two sites vary significantly, the results of both contribute to a clearer understanding of the role of mapping in the development of indigenous territorial claims. Beyond that, how ideas generate and move in contrast to prior set cultural and political bases provides an important topic for further investigation.