Kathryn Quintero

Student NameKathryn Quintero
Faculty Mentor NameHania Abou al-Shamat, PhD
CollegeCollege of Liberal Arts and Sciences
MajorInternational Studies and Arabic
MinorN/A
Research InterestsCartography
Academic AwardsUniversity Scholars Program Award 2020
OrganizationsFlorida Cicerones
First Year Florida
Beyond120
Hobbies and InterestsWriting
Reading

Research Project

Critical Cartographical Tools and Land Conflicts: The Kurdish Entity in the Arab States (1980-2019)?

The significance of maps lies in their legitimizing force and malleability at the whims of human biases particularly in cases of land conflict. This study explores how the critical cartographical tools of toponymy and boundary demarcation are utilized in both political and thematic maps regarding disputed territories. In order to do so, I draw on methods used mainly in Israel-Palestine cartographic analysis endeavors in addition to other pertinent studies. The study ultimately aims to help fill the gap in the cartographic analysis of other land conflicts within the Middle East. Utilizing cartographic material related to the ongoing territorial disputes surrounding Kurdistan, Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG), and the northern region of Syria, maps are analyzed as social constructions that are shaped by various conflict agents to communicate their respective narratives.