Towards a theory of interpretation: cartographical semiosis

Over the last 10 years a new theory in the interpretation of cartography has takes shape. In her overview of the various interpretative approaches that have variously contributed to the present critical approach, the author identifies semiotics as one of the trails principally worth pursuing. A semiotic approach, namely a theory of cartographic interpretation, effectively shifts the emphasis from maps intended as mediation of territory to maps takes as agents, whereby actions to be carried out on territory are determined. This perspective may be defined as cartographic hermeneutics, since it undermines the very semiotic notion of map analysis: the study of maps relies not on autonomous semiosis but on a second level (or meta-semiotic) semiosis that is deeply rooted in and strictly related to first-level, territorial semiosis. In particular, the author focuses on two concepts: self-reference and iconization. The former, which constitutes the core of cartographic communication, is used to indicate the map’s ability to be accepted as such (by its mere existence) and to communicate independently of the intentions of the cartographer. The latter is the communicative process that results in circumstances and contingencies being communicated as truths (thanks to the self-referential nature of the map). Hence, as a model, the map does not represent territory but replaces it. Iconization means that direct knowledge of the world is sidelined, with the greater relevance being given to the knowledge generated by the map itself