The Faculty of Economics of the University of Coimbra (FEUC) will host the opening lecture of the 2025/26 academic year on 19 September at 10:00 a.m. Henk van Houtum, from Radboud University in the Netherlands, will present 'Free the Map: From Atlas to Hermes. A New Cartography of Borders and Migration.
The lecture offers a critical reflection on how maps shape our understanding of borders and migration. Drawing on his eponymous latest book, Van Houtum will address themes such as the dominance of state cartography and its impact on our perception of migration, the critique of 'methodological nationalism' and the 'territorial trap', and proposals for counter-mapping, experience mapping and connectivity mapping.
The lecture challenges traditional, state-centred cartography, proposing visual approaches that humanise global interconnections.
This unique session invites students, academics, and the wider public to explore contemporary challenges in geopolitics, global justice, and spatial representation.
About the speaker:
Henk van Houtum is Professor of Geopolitics and Political Geography at Radboud University and Director of the Nijmegen Centre for Border Research. He is the author of several studies on borders, migration, and geopolitics, with an academic career distinguished by interdisciplinarity and a commitment to a fairer and more inclusive geography.