Counter-mapping in the archaeological landscape

Maps ostensibly depict geographical reality, but we know that they also have a hand in creating that reality. Maps and mapping were instrumental, for instance, in confi guring the exotic landscapes of the West’s colonial dominions according to a Western frame of knowledge that enabled them to be understood, administered, and exploited (Carter 1987; Pratt 1992). The mapping of archaeological landscapes is not exempt from the infl uence of this history. Although it is true that great strides have been taken in the decolonization of archaeological practice over the last few decades (e.g., Hall 2005; Lilley & Williams 2005; McNiven and Russell 2005; Meskell 2005; Smith 2005), it would still be rash to assume that our mapping practices are value-free or ideologically neutral.