This is mapping at its best: challenging our spacial, social and temporal norms, in this case by subverting political geography. Gone are the clear, neatly del

This is mapping at its best: challenging our spacial, social and temporal norms, in this case by subverting political geography. Gone are the clear, neatly delineated boundaries of modern nation states. A new, equally clear yet very different geopolitical regime is presented. Contiguous territories that abut each other yet also kinda overlap (or sometimes really overlap). A three-part scheme that distinguishes between territory, language, and treaty. This approach provokes so many questions. What does it mean to overlap (is it a process vs. a static reality, is it peaceful, etc.)? What is a territory and who defines it? What happens in the little slivers of land not covered by the translucent blobs? What happens in the waterways and lakes? Is the concept of "treaty land" universal in some way? What does non-treaty land mean? We debated all these issues in grad school, and seeing it in an interactive map like this is all the more powerful. I hope that readers here see the questions that maps like this provoke as an asset rather than proof of fallibility. Looking forward to reading more about the creator's research and pedagogical methods.