Counter Narratives of Immigration: A Collective Mapmaking Experience in Athens, GA
April 25, 2025
3:00 PM - 5:00 PM
Location
UH 1501
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Mapmaking has long served as a powerful narrative tool, historically wielded by dominant powers to assert territorial control. Official maps and mainstream cartography, often seen as objective, are deeply influenced by political, social, and institutional agendas. These maps shape public opinion, reinforce established beliefs, and leave critical stories untold. What narratives are omitted from the maps we rely on? What truths remain hidden?
This presentation explores the preliminary findings of a communal mapping initiative with the immigrant community in Athens, GA. Using “emotional maps,” the project documents family narratives, uncovers hidden stories, and fosters community connections. By creating counter maps, this initiative seeks to decolonize cartographic practices, exposing untold experiences of immigrant families and their children.
These counter maps empower immigrant families to actively shape their narratives, producing representations that reflect their lived realities rather than those imposed externally. By embedding personal stories within a geographic context, the maps make immigrant experiences visible and accessible. This ongoing project transforms emotional experiences into spatial representations, transcending linguistic and generational barriers. Ultimately, these maps challenge dominant negative perceptions of immigration, promote understanding, and inform policy discussions.
Betina Kaplan is an Associate Professor of Spanish at the University of Georgia. She is the author of Género y violencia en la narrativa del Cono Sur ("Gender and Violence in the Narrative of the Southern Cone"). She specializes in 20th and 21st-century Latin American literature and visual arts, focusing on topics such as memory, gender, trauma, and violence, particularly in the context of political violence in Latin America. She is very active in the immigrant community in Athens where she has co-founded two organizations -Freedom University and U-Lead Athens- that support college access and is a member of other immigrant rights associations.
Mapmaking has long served as a powerful narrative tool, historically wielded by dominant powers to assert territorial control. Official maps and mainstream cartography, often seen as objective, are deeply influenced by political, social, and institutional agendas. These maps shape public opinion, reinforce established beliefs, and leave critical stories untold. What narratives are omitted from the maps we rely on? What truths remain hidden?
This presentation explores the preliminary findings of a communal mapping initiative with the immigrant community in Athens, GA. Using “emotional maps,” the project documents family narratives, uncovers hidden stories, and fosters community connections. By creating counter maps, this initiative seeks to decolonize cartographic practices, exposing untold experiences of immigrant families and their children.
These counter maps empower immigrant families to actively shape their narratives, producing representations that reflect their lived realities rather than those imposed externally. By embedding personal stories within a geographic context, the maps make immigrant experiences visible and accessible. This ongoing project transforms emotional experiences into spatial representations, transcending linguistic and generational barriers. Ultimately, these maps challenge dominant negative perceptions of immigration, promote understanding, and inform policy discussions.
Betina Kaplan is an Associate Professor of Spanish at the University of Georgia. She is the author of Género y violencia en la narrativa del Cono Sur ("Gender and Violence in the Narrative of the Southern Cone"). She specializes in 20th and 21st-century Latin American literature and visual arts, focusing on topics such as memory, gender, trauma, and violence, particularly in the context of political violence in Latin America. She is very active in the immigrant community in Athens where she has co-founded two organizations -Freedom University and U-Lead Athens- that support college access and is a member of other immigrant rights associations.
Date posted
Mar 26, 2025
Date updated
Mar 26, 2025