Introduction: The Limits to Deconstructing the Map

This special issue marks the twenty-fifth anniversary of the publication of J.B. Harley's “Deconstructing the Map” (1989), which has had a major influence in the fields of critical cartography, the history of cartography, and human geography more generally. Over the last quarter century, this essay and related works have also been widely cited by scholars from a broad range of disciplines across the social sciences and humanities, serving as a key reference for those seeking to theorize the spatial politics of maps and mapping. Through such citational practices, “Deconstructing the Map” has acquired a canonical status as one of the classics of critical cartographic theory, yet the limitations of its theoretical and methodological analyses are widely acknowledged even by Harley's strongest supporters. The contributors to this special issue discuss their own critical engagements with this foundational text as well as the extent to which Harley's work still resonates with contemporary perspectives in the field of critical cartography today. The broader aim of this collection is therefore not to further canonize Harley as the patron saint of critical cartography but rather to think through the limits of “Deconstructing the Map” to ensure that current and future theorizations of the power of mapping remain open to self-critique and new becomings.