Mapping and Imagined Futures: Beyond Colonising Cartography

This paper invites wide dialogue on the ways we map the world and the future .It also asks how dominant ways of mapping might affect our sense of agency, ethical regard for others, and levels of active community participation in shaping the future. Evidence is provided that what has been presented traditionally as the "exac" science of cartography is often deeply embedded in knowledgepower interests. There is critical consideration of what is "left off the map" and of what this might reveal. From a peace education and futures education perspective, many critical issues are raised. These issues include whether our children are given enough opportunities to build better understanding of other people and places, as well as learning relevant image literacy skills.