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Maps are somehow shy. They tend to hide their emotional side behind their clear lines, precise points, minimalistic words, numerical data and informative purpose. But when we scratch the cartographic surface, maps appear to be impregnated with all sorts of emotions. The emotions associated with the topic mapped and the ones evoked through the cartographic design. The emotions felt by the mapmaker while drawing the map and the ones felt by the map user when discovering it. The anger and sadness triggered by social injustices revealed on a map, or the simple pleasure felt while admiring a beautiful cartographic design. The emotional experiences we clearly remember and the most common ones we hardly notice or we simply forget. Beneath the surface, maps and mapping teem with emotions of all sorts. In this introduction to the special issue on Maps and Emotions, we will reveal the multiple relationships that exist between maps, mapping, and emotions.

Before looking at these relationships, let’s first clarify what we mean by “emotions” in the context of mapmaking. The term emotion is often used interchangeably with the term affect, since both are generally understood by scholars as embodied experiences. Beyond this commonality there are distinct differences between affect and emotion that vary depending on the disciplinary lens through which each is viewed. While both arise from our interaction with the environment, affects are generally conceived as arising from the body, while emotions are usually linked to the conscious mind and expressed through emotion concepts (eg, fear, joy, embarrassment). One major disciplinary …