Mapping the World (French: Le Dessous des cartes) is a French programme that explains geopolitical contexts using maps as visual support. It was created in 1990 by political scientist Jean-Christophe Victor, who hosted it up until his death in 2016.[1] The programme returned in September 2017 with Émilie Aubry as host and airs weekly on the Franco-German channel Arte.[2]
| Mapping the World | |
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| Created by | Jean-Christophe Victor |
| Presented by |
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| Country of origin |
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| Production | |
| Running time | 10 minutes |
| Original release | |
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| Release | 1990–present |
Programming and format
editThe show was first aired from 1990 to 1992, on La Sept until it stopped broadcasting, and has been on air since 1992 on the Franco-German channel Arte. The show is broadcast every Saturday at 20h00 (Paris local time, UTC+1) and rebroadcast several times a week. The format of the show has changed little since the first episode. However, the episode length expanded from 7 to 11 minutes. The transition from 11 to 26 minutes referred to by Jean-Christophe Victor in 2002 was abandoned.
Structure of the show
editIn general, the show runs as follows:
- Generic top
- Introduction – the presenter introduces the topic of the show on a neutral background
- Development – maps, animations and sometimes pictures while the presenter talks.
- Conclusion – the presenter concludes the program on a neutral point of view
- Bibliography of books which served as sources and / or may give the viewer further insight into the topic
- End Credits
Maps and visualization methods
editTopographic maps are based on the Ordnance Survey Oxford Cartographers. The most commonly used map projection is that of Eckert (the Pseudo-cylindrical projection). The show also uses satellite imagery from Google Earth and the first use was in the episode named: "Nigeria, rich state poor country."
Program production cycle
editThe Laboratoire d'études politiques et d'analyses cartographiques (LEPAC) produces about forty episodes a year for the channel Arte. The subjects for most episodes are decided a year in advance to allow time for production. This delay in the selection of themes allows a certain hindsight regarding the chosen topic. However, on occasion, the topic of an episode is more closely related to current events. For example, the episode "Tsunami, a natural phenomenon" aired just three months after the events in South-East Asia.
Subjects of the show
editOf the 300 programs (from March 2001 to May 2008), 210 (70%) have a geographical approach and 84 (28%) have a thematic approach. 6 issues remain unclassifiable: introspective (ex: "La Methode le Dessous des Cartes") or dreamers (ex: "A journey with Corto Maltese, Turkey to Samarkand"). For information and the geographical most commonly accepted:
- Africa (29)
- Latin America (21)
- Anglo-Saxon America (12)
- Europe (53)
- Polar worlds (11)
- Central Asia (10)
- East Asia (35)
- Middle East (36)
- Oceania (1)
Anecdote: The issue of 29 March 2000, for the week of April 1, is a parody of the show itself. The producing team of the show made what could be the episode of 1 April 3000 by offering a retrospective view of the past thousand years.
Methods and objectives
editIn a special 10th birthday episode named "La méthode du Dessous des Cartes", the aims of the show were outlined:
- Give way to Geography
- Give meaning through History
- Cross disciplines
- Everything is connected
- Avoid Ethnocentrism
- Giving a try at Futures studies
- Take a stand
The main, oft repeated aim of the show is "to understand rather than to inform."
Awards
edit- Prix Encyclopædia Universalis 1995
- Grand Prix Video 1996 of the Académie Charles Cros
- La Clio de l'image 1997
Publications
editBooks
edit- Jean-Christophe Victor, Frank Tétart and Virginie Raisson, Le Dessous des cartes : Atlas géopolitique, map of Frederick Lernoud, ed. Arte and Tallandier, 2005, (ISBN 2847342346).
- Jean-Christophe Victor, Frank Tétart and Virginie Raisson, Le Dessous des cartes 2 : Tome 2, Atlas d'un monde qui change, map of Lernoud Frederick, ed. Arte and Tallandier, 2007, (ISBN 2847344667).
- Jean-Christophe Victor, Frank Tétart and Virginie Raisson, Le Dessous des Cartes : Coffret en 2 volumes : Atlas géopolitique ; Atlas d'un monde qui change, map of Lernoud Frederick, ed. Arte and Tallandier, 2008 (ISBN 284734540X).
DVD
editEach semester, Arte Video and LEPAC publish a DVD. The DVD includes 12 to 20 episodes of the show regarding a theme. DVDs released so far:
- Latin America, the other America;
- African continent;
- The unity of China;
- USA, an imperialistic geography;
- Geopolitics and Religion;
- Europe, a model geopolitics?;
- Europe as an alternative?;
- Polar worlds;
- Middle East geopolitical pivot;
- A planet in relief.
Textbooks
edit- Le dessous des cartes Terminale : L’espace mondial
- Le dessous des cartes Première : L’Europe et la France
- Le dessous des cartes Seconde : Les Hommes occupent et aménagent la Terre
- Le dessous des cartes Troisième : Le Monde d’aujourd’hui
References
edit- ^ Papin, Delphine (29 December 2016). "Jean-Christophe Victor, expert en géopolitique et créateur de l'émission " Le Dessous des cartes ", est mort" [Jean-Christophe Victor, geopolitics expert and creator of the programme "Mapping the World", is dead]. Le Monde.fr (in French). Archived from the original on 29 December 2016. Retrieved 13 March 2021.
- ^ "China, ein Land, viele Gesichter - Mit offenen Karten" [China: One Country, Many Facets - Mapping the World]. ARTE (in German). Archived from the original on 15 December 2020. Retrieved 13 March 2021.
Das beliebte geopolitische Magazin „Mit offenen Karten" wurde von Jean-Christophe Victor aus der Taufe gehoben. Seit September 2017 moderiert Emilie Aubry die Sendung.