Jerusalem Online: Critical Cartography for the Digital Age (The Contemporary City)

The book addresses the rapid shifts which have taken place within cartography, and argues that no amount of technological sophistication will lead to neutral representations, and that as such critical cartography provides a solid foundation for questioning the power of maps. It considers the fragmentation, dynamism and opacity that characterise online maps, and argues for the need of new ways of thinking and researching maps. The book offers an approach grounded in 'ontological' social theory and feminist technoscience, and illustrates it through the analysis of three Jerusalem-related mapping controversies. Using online media, historical maps and ethnographic work, each case study explores a different map provider and a recent mapping development: Google Maps and the distributed authorship of web-maps; Waze and algorithmic navigation; OpenStreetMap and crowdsourcing. The book is a key read to faculty and advanced students in Urban Studies and Critical Cartography. It will particularly appeal to those working in the digital geographies. Acknowledgments Contents Abbreviations List of Figures 1 New Mapping Technologies, Same Old Politics? ‘They Had the Plans, the Territory, the Maps...’: Cartography and the Struggle Over Israel/Palestine (1923–2000’) The Geoweb: A New Mapping Language Book Overview References 2 A Critical Cartography of Sensors and Algorithms Mappings: From Big Narrative to Big Data? Approaching Maps as Matters of Care References 3 Into Dangerous Territory with Waze Danger-Tracking Apps to Keep (White, Middle-class) People Safe When ‘They’ Are ‘Here’: Navigating Jerusalem’s Soft Borders Palestinian Lives in Danger References 4 A Glitch in Google Maps The Google Maps Machine Erratum: The Palestinian Question, in 140 Characters References 5 Naming Jerusalem on OpenStreetMap The Edit War Over Jerusalem Names on the Ground: A Historical Detour References 6 Epilogue Gaps in the Digital Map No Escape in Technology References Appendix: Notes on Methods Index