Based on his recently published book Free the Map: From Atlas to Hermes. A New Cartography of Borders and Migration (2024) border professor Henk van Houtum will discuss the huge implications and fallacies of this state-centric and segregationist cartography for how we see the world. He makes a plea to free the map from this “territorial trap” and will show various examples of counter-mapping that aim to humanize the design of maps. His lecture is followed by an interactive workshop, a Maplab, in which participants can explore innovative ways to incorporate human experiences, mobility, and connections in the design of maps. Let’s free the map from its territorial trap!
About the speakers
Prof dr Henk van Houtum is is Professor of Geopolitics and Political Geography at Radboud University Nijmegen. He writes and teaches on the cartography and geopolitics of borders, bordering, and migration. Recent works include: Free the Map. From Atlas to Hermes. A new cartography of borders and migration (2024), Voorbij Fort Europa, een nieuwe visie op migratie (2026/17), written with Leo Lucassen, and Borderland. Atlas, essays and design. History and future of the border landscape (2013). For more info: www.henkvanhoutum.nl
