Maps as situated and situating knowledge

Abstract

As David Turnbull suggests, ‘knowledge is not simply local, it is located. It is both situated and situating. It has place and creates a space.’  Thus, maps in this sense are assemblages that are made up of ‘linked sites, people, and activities’ in which the creation of a map is not only a representational referent but can also be the creation of an actual knowledge space; spaces that are themselves mutable and capable of providing many different meanings and interpretations within a real-world, dynamic context. In this article I explore the implications of these ideas through two examples: one associated with prehistoric rock art in North Norway, and another with contemporary graffiti in an abandoned village in West Scotland.