Short Abstract:

This panel brings together artists, activists, and academics to explore counter-mapping theory and practice from five regions and periods of India. The panel is an introduction to counter-mapping in India, as a process and methodology towards developing community and environment-oriented practices.

Long Abstract:

This panel offers a timely contribution to the ongoing discussions around counter-mapping practice and provides a glimpse into pressing and ongoing projects across India. This focus has been surprisingly underrepresented, considering the significant attention counter-mapping has received in other regions, such as Latin America, Southeast Asia, North America, and Europe. The panel not only aims to fill this gap but also to assert why focusing on counter-mapping in India provides new answers and raises new questions about the practice's effects on challenging mainstream dogmas and socio-economic realities. As Martin Dodge, Rob Kitchin, and Chris Perkins suggest, "Rethinking maps involves questioning the assumptions, methods, and goals of traditional cartography and exploring new possibilities for representing and understanding spatial information".

This panel will feature works by academics, activists, and artists who all employ counter-mapping as a tool, methodology, or form of developing their work and advocating for their beliefs. We aim to expand the possibilities and horizons of counter-mapping as a form of representation and a methodology that can generate alternate narratives and perspectives towards our land and environment.

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