Peripheral meaning in maps: The example of ideology

Abstract

The basic function of a map is the intentional conveyance of information about a territory. Sign contents relating to other domains are peripheral to the said information and are therefore collectively called peripheral meaning. One kind of peripheral meaning, i.e., ideology, is the subject matter of the present paper. At this place, “ideology” is a short term for beliefs about the socio-political component of the world. On the basis of observations gleaned from the cartographic literature, an attempt is made to place ideology into a semiotic frame. An ideological meaning component is considered a connotation which is often associated not with a single type of entries but a class of such types. Finally, the retrieval of ideological
connotations in map interpretation is sketched.