Lies, Damned Lies &amp; Maps: The EU's Cartopolitical Invention of Europe
Rodrigo Bueno Lacy|H.J. van Houtum
Ever since the 15th century, empires have invented Europe as a meaningful political space to legitimize territorial ambitions and establish hierarchies between Europeans professedly lesser geocultural entities. Maps played crucial role in naturalizing geopolitical arbitrariness—what we term cartopolitics—that has underlain such Europeanization. In this article, draw on historical maps expose cartopolitical cleansing done by EU—today's grand Europeanizing power—and free from its hegemonic inscription. Heavy symbolism yet light mathematical accuracy, old of readily earn our mistrust. Meanwhile, EU cartography, foreseeing that strident could antagonize members' national iconography hamper enlargement, offers plain technicality divested allegory demands indifference. However, seemingly unobjectionable portrayed relies decorative strategies analogous those ancient should arouse similar suspicion. Ironically, for all their subtlety cultivate an affiliation with Brussels, inadvertently prop up Eurosceptical discourses chewing at EU's external appeal internal cohesion. Our conviction is dislocating Europe's borders show Europes were be may inspire refreshing imaginations about meaning boundaries EU.
Journal of Contemporary European Studies