Knowledge-power relationship in John Brian Harley's cartography thought

This master's thesis deals with the fact that maps are not only objective tools that convey objective information in the history of cartography, but also can reflect ideological, cultural and social elements. In the debates on the subject between 1980- 1990, some geographers adopted the idea that maps are not only scientific tools, but can also reflect ideological, cultural and social parameters. At the centre of the debates on the nature of maps in this period are the remarkable approaches brought by John Brian Harley in 1987 with his articles that constitute The Nature of Maps. Harley argues that maps are not only objective sources of information, but also ideological and political tools. In this context, Harley brings a different interpretation to map analyses for historians of science. Harley appeals to philosophy and sociology, especially Foucault and Derrida, to reveal the elements hidden in the nature of maps. The focus of our study is Brian Harley's idea of cartography, which offers an alternative interpretation to the positivist perspective. Harley's thought emphasises that maps are not only tools that convey geographical information, but also ideological and political tools. In addition, based on Harley's thought, an analysis of sample maps with colonial discourse used in the 19th century is presented. In this analysis, in the light of Harley's interpretation, it is examined how these maps reflect an ideology and how they carry cultural and social elements.