Concept Of Territory Research Articles

Taking territory seriously in a fluid, topologically varied world: reflections in the wake of the populist turn and the COVID-19 pandemic

This article is published as part of the Geografiska Annaler: Series B, Human Geography special issue based on the Vega symposium: ‘Bounded spaces in question: X-raying the persistence of regions and territories, edited by Anssi Paasi. ABSTRACT A concern with territory may seem anachronistic in the face of the interconnected, fluid, topologically complex political-geographic landscape of the twenty-first century. Yet in many places borders are hardening, the movement of people is becoming more limited, and state nationalism is gaining ground. The recent rise of populist-nationalist movements and the responses to the spread of SARS-CoV-2 around the world are illustrative of conflicting political and social dynamics that are simultaneously reinforcing and challenging dominant territorial ideas and assumptions. Coming to grips with this state of affairs demands an increasingly sophisticated engagement with the concept of territory–one that treats territory as a shifting, yet sticky, element of a complex system that is constantly being remade through the interplay of material circumstances and ideological dispositions.

“Political Antiquity” in the Post-Yugoslav Space

The problem of the formation and development of state and social structures in the countries that emerged after the collapse of SFR Yugoslavia is closely related to the issue of the formation of their new national identities. An important role in this process is played by the image of a hostile “other” in the ordinary consciousness of the people, which has become one of the main means of internal consolidation of the new Balkan states. The tragic events of the 1991–1995 Yugoslav War and the 1998–1999 Kosovo Crisis brought a variety of myths and concepts about their national identities to the fore, resulting in new searches for their ethnic identities. In the context of the polysemous notion of “us and them”, images of empires from the distant past have become an important tool in the formation of ethnic identities of post-Yugoslav countries, designed to form a distinctive, different from neighbouring nations, perception of “homeland” in society, to emphasise its uniqueness and antiquity, especially as in the historical development of the Western Balkans it proved impossible to combine state borders with ethnic boundaries, as well as to correlate the concepts of identity and territory. Here too, the images of antiquity are not subject to scholarly inquiry or debate, but are presented to society as an “indisputable” historical argument and a fait accompli in territorial disputes with its neighbours. Thus, the ancient past of the Balkan region becomes an important instrument in a kind of memory war aimed at destroying any reference to the “strange” people who once lived on this territory and to the time of their forced neighbourhood, as well as “incontrovertible” proof that the small people belonged to the West and its values – the legacy of that same antiquity.

ТЕРИТОРІАЛЬНА ДОКТРИНА РОСІЙСЬКОЇ ПРАВОСЛАВНОЇ ЦЕРКВИ: СТРАТЕГІЯ ЕКСПАНСІОНІЗМУ

The study is devoted to the analysis of the geopolitical doctrine of the ROC, related in particular to its participation in the political redistribution of the world. The ideological basis for interfering in the internal affairs of independent states is the concept of canonical territory. The object of the study is the ROC as a structural part and organic component of the Kremlin regime, and the subject — its political activities, aimed, in particular, at violating the national interests of Ukraine. The purpose of this study is the problem of the origin and essence of this neologism, filling it with semantic content and use as an ideological narrative in the hybrid war of Russia against Ukraine. The ecclesiastical-legal, historical, ideological and political explication of its content as an integral part of the doctrine of the «Russian world» has been carried out. The foreign policy of the ROC is based on the expansionist ideologies of the «Russian world», aimed at establishing its own hegemony on potential objects of influence, of which Ukraine has traditionally emerged as the main direction of its influence. In the historical dimension, the formation and growth of the network of ROC structures on its territory took place by illegal means, both from the ecclesiastical and political point of view. The liquidation of Ukrainian statehood was accompanied by the simultaneous capture and leveling of its Christian identity: canonical affiliation, church infrastructure, national and cultural identity. In the conditions of the development of independent Ukraine, it became natural for the Ukrainian Orthodox Church to acquire the status of a local autocephalous church, which corresponds to the current ecclesiastical and international law, its national interests. As a political trend, the notion of canonical territory was introduced by the ROC in 1989 as a means of preserving its own imperial ambitions. There was a targeted transformation of the idiom «territory of the state for the canonical church» into the ideology «state as the canonical territory of the church», which serves as a basis for the ROC to interfere in the internal affairs of international law. In modern conditions, the ROC is a direct participant in Russia’s hybrid war against Ukraine. The dimensions of such participation are various: organizational (formation and support of terrorist organizations), repressive (prohibition of religious freedoms in the occupied territories), property (raider seizure and seizure of church property and territories), psychological (creating an atmosphere of fear and social tension), etc. The focus of the illegal policy of the ROC is its systematic attempts to discredit and oppose the activities of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine as an expression of the spiritual interests of the Ukrainian people. This allows the final conclusions about a number of threats to public harmony and national security of Ukraine, induced by the activities of ROC structures in our country.

A Pedagogia da Alternância e o desenvolvimento territorial na Comunidade Quilombola Mumbuca atendida pela LEdoC de Tocantinópolis – TO

O presente artigo apresenta um recorte da fundamentação teórica inicial de uma pesquisa que analisa como a Pedagogia da Alternância, proposta pela LEdoC/TOC, contribui para o fortalecimento territorial e a afirmação da identidade quilombola na Comunidade Mumbuca. A base de fundamentação teórica e metodológica é o materialismo histórico-dialético, nas categorias: historicidade, totalidade, contradição e mediação. A discussão sobre território e desenvolvimento territorial é realizada a partir de autores que desenvolveram e refinaram esse debate, como Raffestin (1993) e Saquet (2017), que constroem o conceito de território na perspectiva social e como produto de contextos históricos. Para compreensão e construção a respeito da Educação do Campo e LEdoC, usa-se Caldart (2010, 2011), Kolling, Nery e Molina (1999), Molina e Hage (2015, 2016), Molina e Jesus (2004), Molina e Sá (2011), Pereira (2019), C. A. Santos (2009), entre outros. A Pedagogia da Alternância é abordada por Begnami (2006, 2019), Gimonet (2007), Nosella (2014, 2020), Queiroz (2004), S. P. Santos (2012), entre outros. Deve-se salientar que os resultados demonstram que a LEdoC/TOC, como intencionalidade do currículo, contribui, de forma significativa, para a formação de identidade do sujeito, como também, o pertencimento ao território e a cultura quilombola. Palavras-chave: educação do campo, pedagogia da alternância, LEdoC, desenvolvimento territorial. The alternance pedagogy and the territorial development in the Quilombola Community Mumbuca served by the LEdoC of Tocantinópolis – TO ABSTRACT. This article presents an excerpt of the initial theoretical foundation of a research that analyzes how the Pedagogy of Alternation, proposed by the LEdoC/TOC, contributes to the territorial strengthening and affirmation of the quilombola identity in the Mumbuca Community, from the participation of part of its members in the course. The theoretical and methodological basis is Historical-Dialectical Materialism, in the categories: historicity, totality, contradiction and mediation. The discussion on territory and territorial development is based on authors who developed and refined this debate, such as Raffestin (1993) and Saquet (2017), which aims to construct the concept of territory in the social perspective and as a product of historical contexts. To understand on Rural Education and LEdoC were used Caldart (2010, 2011), Kolling, Nery and Molina (1999), Molina and Hage (2015, 2016), Molina and Jesus (2004), Molina and Sá (2011), Pereira (2019), C. A. Santos (2009), among others. The Pedagogy of Alternation is addressed by Begnami (2006, 2019), Gimonet (2007), Nosella (2014, 2020), Queiroz (2004), S. P. Santos (2012), among others. It should be noted that the results demonstrate that LEdoC/TOC, as a curriculum intention, contributes significantly to the formation of the subject’s identity, as well as belonging to the territory and the quilombola culture. Keywords: rural education, alternance training, LEdoC, territorial development. La Pedagogía de la Alternancia y el desarrollo territorial en la Comunidad Quilombola de Mumbuca atendida por el LedoC de Tocantinópolis – TO RESUMEN. Este artículo presenta un extracto de la fundamentación teórica inicial de una investigación que analiza cómo la Pedagogía de la Alternancia, propuesta por LEdoC/TOC, contribuye al fortalecimiento territorial y afirmación de la identidad quilombola en la Comunidad Mumbuca. La base teórica y metodológica es el Materialismo Histórico-Dialéctico, en las categorías: historicidad, totalidad, contradicción y mediación. La discusión sobre territorio y desarrollo territorial se realiza a partir de autores que desarrollaron y afinaron este debate, como Raffestin (1993) y Saquet (2017), y que pretende construir el concepto de territorio desde la perspectiva social y como producto de contextos históricos. Para entender y construir sobre la Educación Rural y LEdoC, Caldart (2010, 2011), Kolling, Nery y Molina (1999), Molina y Hage (2015, 2016), Molina y Jesus (2004) Molina y Sá (2004) son 2011), Pereira (2019), C. A. Santos (2009), entre otros. La Pedagogía de la Alternancia es abordada por Begnami (2006, 2019), Gimonet (2007), Nosella (2014, 2020), Queiroz (2004), S. P. Santos (2012), entre otros. Vale la pena señalar que los resultados demuestran que LEdoC/TOC, como intención curricular, contribuye significativamente a la formación de la identidad del sujeto, así como la pertenencia al territorio y la cultura quilombola. Palabras clave: educación de campo, pedagogía de la alternancia, LEdoC, desarrollo territorial.

Lógicas del paisaje y territorio en Cusi Cusi (Jujuy, Argentina)

In this paper I propose a dialogue between the concepts of landscape logics and territory, in order to interpret the history of the ways of life in terms of different shapes adopted by territoriality in time and space in a wide temporal range. I also suggest a model of landscapes in Cusi Cusi (Rinconada, Jujuy) using those concepts. My consideration is that to understand lanscapes as territories allow us to interpret problems from the past, the presente and even project them into the future. To achieve this goal, I apply the concepts in a model of different ways of life across time, the relationships between them and the questions that can be raised through considering territoriality as a key concept.

Rethinking territoriality concept on public space after pandemic COVID-19

The spread and pandemic of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) that is currently happening in the world, has led to new policy steps in the security of public spaces to reduce the transmission of COVID-19 and protect public health. There is new adaptation in the policies while using space like limiting the use of public spaces, increasing social distancing between people or creating territory. Territory means specific area where are claimed or maintained (can be physically, through ruler or symbols). Territory can give a sense of security to the users. Therefore, this paper give insight and rethinking the territory concept as sense of security in interior public space and built environment where people expect to see strangers in this space. The methods in this paper are literature review method by collecting and synthesizing previous research using integrative approach. For the result is territory concept achieved as part of protection to the users in the build environment with mechanisms that should be applied in each type: the boundary between areas; limitation to the symbolic; supervision and control of space.

The body, the house and the city: the territorialities of black women in Brazil

This article presents a discussion on the relationship between territoriality and intersectionality based on the experience of Black Brazilian women throughout the historical process that has triggered a long trajectory of struggle against racism and sexism. Bibliographical and documentary research has been used in order to discuss the territories of the body, the house and the city, understood as spaces of oppression and resistance. While these analytical categories have received considerable attention, especially within the Black feminist movement itself, few studies have explicitly or thoroughly addressed the relationship between intersectionality and territoriality based on an expanded conception of territory that goes from the body through to the city. Reflecting upon these concepts as a collective unit and through a multi-scalar perspective may help to provide greater visibility to the protagonist spaces of Black Brazilian women in their struggle for reparation, recognition and the right to exist.

Modern Trends in the Field of Solving Transboundary Problems in Groundwater Extraction

The intensive exploitation of water resources negatively affects the ecological situation in many international water objects. The problem of a shortage of drinking water is aggravating, water bodies are subject to pollution by domestic and industrial wastewater, and the water quality in the basins of international water courses continues to deteriorate. This situation primarily requires legal regulation. Until recently, despite a significant number of existing international treaties on the use of transboundary waters, there was no universal international legal act to systematize the basic principles and norms of behavior of the states in this area. The most important direction for improving public administration in the field of use and protection of transboundary groundwater bodies is the development and expansion of international cooperation and the legal consolidation of the rights and obligations of states through the adoption of legislative acts on various levels. Modern international policy in the field of transboundary groundwater resources management is undergoing significant changes. The very concept of a transboundary territory in relation to groundwater extraction was adopted both in Russia and in Europe in the early 2000s. However, the main criteria for the definition of a transboundary territory have not yet been formulated anywhere. This gives rise to the need to define a transboundary aquifer in international legislation, as well as to limit the size of this aquifer. This paper is devoted to the analysis of approaches to the definition of “transboundary aquifer”, emerging problems in this area, the legal framework, and conflicts in the field of transboundary regulation of groundwater. The zone of responsibility in groundwater extraction at the transboundary territory of neighboring states is defined.

Bringing geopolitics to energy transition research

This perspective aims at a geopolitical conceptual and empirical contribution to research questions on power in energy transition research, coming from the history of energy and Sustainability Transitions Studies. It aims at answering the call that has been made for the development of approaches that take power dynamics between actors into account, by authors coming from Sustainability Transitions Studies.This article suggests a geopolitical approach of power relations, at and of the different scales of energy transitions – understood as a change of energy resource could open a complementary and more spatial vision on this issue based on the main concepts of representations, territoriality, and resource development.This conceptual proposition is then developed over two empirical examples. The first one is France’s energy governance system, which is just stepping out of its precedent energy transition towards nuclear energy. It explores the effects of the ongoing sustainable transition on the structure of the political landscape and of the energy sector using the concepts of resource development control and appropriation. The second one on EU energy transition policy highlights the importance of representations, a key concept in geopolitics, whose analysis facilitates the understanding of actors’ strategies.

Sonic Becomings: Rhythmic Encounters in Interspecies Improvisation

Abstract David Rothenberg, a philosophy professor and Jazz musician, has been improvising with nonhuman animals for years, among his playing partners are birds and whales, known to be territorial animals. As Deleuze and Guattari propose that the origin of art is precisely the territorialising animal and more a function of nature than a specifically human cultural achievement, their concept of territory and rhythm offers a non-anthropocentric way of looking at these encounters. Rothenberg’s sonic experiments in resonance and interspecies interaction do not rely on language, thus I argue that the human and the nonhuman animals form a temporary joint territory via sonic rhythms and engage in a mutual becoming by forming a rhizome. His sound thinking practice thus also helps in decentralising further anthropocentric models of music and art.

Minorities, Territories and the Law of Ownership. Back to Basics and the Way Forward

In public law, the concept of property plays, arguably, a much more limited role than in private law. At a closer look, however, a rather different picture emerges. In fact, in public (national and international) law, property is less (if at all) regulated, but not less important than in private law. Rather, it is implicitly assumed and developed in collective rather than individual terms. Especially in the nation state construct, territory is the property of a state and the state is the property of a group of people (the dominant nation), whose power to control a territory is called sovereignty. For this reason, when the question emerges of how to deal with a territory predominantly inhabited by a minority group, the answers by different actors involved might be diametrically opposite. This is essentially because the link between people and territory is always framed in terms of ownership: who “owns” a territory? And how to deal with those who inhabit the territory without (being seen as those) owing it? This essay explores the responses to such questions. The focus will be on challenges posed by autonomy regimes as instruments for the accommodation of minority issues, including the evolving concept of territory. Against this background, the different understandings of the link and the recent practice of selected international bodies will be analysed, leading to some concluding remarks. It will be argued that territory is an unavoidable point of reference, but many aspects are not sufficiently addressed, such as the issue of the addressees of such arrangements, the evolution that minority-related concepts are facing in the present era, marked by the challenge of diversity and the overall understanding of territorial arrangements.

My body, my territory: Indigenous women, territoriality, and the rights of cultural minorities

ABSTRACT Scholars often frame questions of cultural pluralism as a simple binary: Is the protection of “illiberal cultures” detrimental to the rights of women and other internal minorities within these cultures? In this article, I argue that this reductive binary is insufficient and show how Indigenous women from Peru actually navigate the simultaneous articulation of their collective cultural rights and their individual rights as women. I build on interview and ethnographic research during two months of fieldwork (2019) in Peru to argue that Indigenous women in this country strategically engage the concept of territoriality in their dual struggle for collective Indigenous rights, and individual rights as women within the realm of patriarchal traditions. Using the idea that “our body is our territory,” Peruvian Indigenous women transcend the limitations of liberal rights by reimagining them in a culturally specific vocabulary of sovereignty. In contrast to critics of multiculturalism who fear for the individual rights of women and vulnerable populations from minority cultures, I find that the protection of “illiberal cultures” does not necessarily reinforce oppression, but may, in fact, have unexpected democratic potential.

Critical antagonisms: cycling and territory

ABSTRACT Slower speed limits and regulated passing distances between motor vehicles and bicycles are now taken-for-granted in policies aimed at increasing cycling participation rates by addressing safety concerns in societies dominated by cars. Rather than understanding distance as a measurement between two points, this paper addresses the sensibilities of proximity. This paper draws on the work of Deleuze and Guattari and the related concepts of assemblage, territory and critical distance, to better understand how subjectivities emerge through sensations of proximity-in-motion while riding a bike. Attention turns to how experiences of risk underpin an encroachment on personal space that transforms the affective capacities of cycling bodies to ride specific routes along roads, footpaths and cycleways. The article engages with the situated cycling experiences of 28 individuals who ride for leisure and/or transport, who consented to participate in a cycling sensory ethnography in the small city of Wollongong, Australia. Greater appreciation of how sensations of antagonism triggered by proximity-in-cycling-motion, work to reinforce or challenge subjectivities may offer insights to improve actual and perceived safety for cyclists beyond fixed distance policy concepts.

Water delivery and the creation of hydrosocial routes: Comparing five neighborhoods in Niamey, Niger

In cities of the Global South, including many African cities, large segments of the population are underserved by the city’s formal water regime. In these situations, informal or hybrid methods of water access emerge, often in the form of small water enterprises (SWEs). Spaces occupied, traveled through, and served by SWEs lead to new spaces of access in cities where they are present. We introduce the concept of hydrosocial routes, or pathways established by human processes involved in linking water sources to consumers. This article examines the routes created by one SWE in Niamey, Niger: that of house-to-house water delivery. It draws from the concept of hydrosocial territories, but extends the discussion to include the pathways that exist within, extend, or connect hydrosocial territories. Using participant observation and geographic information systems to map delivery routes of house-to-house water vendors, we show how cultural norms of the water delivery economy in Niamey create hydrosocial routes. We argue that while hydrosocial territories are often defined by conflict, the hydrosocial routes, in this case, help to prevent conflict and encourage equity among vendors in the hybrid system of water delivery. Understanding the context of how these routes are established and maintained helps us better understand urban water vending and water access challenges in Niamey and elsewhere.

Territorios en disputa: un estudio de caso en la España vaciada

This paper analyses the trajectory of public policies in the face of the problem of depopulation, both at the socioeconomic level and for its impacts on the lives of thousands who are being displaced. It is based on a diagnosis to characterize the dimension of the problem. Then we reflect on the socioeconomic development model and its spatial impacts. We problematize the issue of depopulation incorporating approaches to the geography of power, the conceptions of space and territory, and the challenges of “empty space” in the context of disputes about natural and strategic resources. Finally, we analyze the socio-cultural impact and the rupture of community ties. Although the work is relevant to all of Spain, but it focuses on the Community of Castile and Leon, and more specifically León given that it is one of the provinces with the greatest depopulation and with less institutional support.

Borders & Personal Mythologies: An Interview with Emeric Lhuisset

On February 18, 2021, Elisa Ganivet interviewed the photographer Emeric Lhuisset, known for his immersion in conflict zones. Discussing his art projects, the conversation cross-examined the concepts of border and territory in visual art. Portions of the interview are reproduced here, in English translation from the original French, alongside photos of the artist’s work. (The French-language version will be published in the next issue of BIG_Review.)

Mapping the North: Ethnicities, Territories and the Networks of Archaeology

The Saami, the indigenous population of northern Fennoscandia, have constantly been conceptualized as the others in relation to the (pre-)history writing of the modern nation-states. Here, the discussion focuses on Saami archaeology and representations of Saami prehistory in Sweden. It is emphasized that all ethnic, national and territorial concepts are embedded in networks of power, and that the connections and separations behind the concepts need to be explored. In this article a relational network approach is suggested as an alternative to dualistic thinking about ethnicities and territories. Ethnicity is here seen as one set of relationships, interwoven into many networks stretching over time and space. The network approach is in part inspired by actor-network theory, which is briefly described together with some possible points of interest for archaeological studies.

The Importance of Indigenous Cartography and Toponymy to Historical Land Tenure and Contributions to Euro/American/Canadian Cartography

Indigenous maps are critical in understanding the historic and current land tenure of Indigenous groups. Furthermore, Indigenous claims to land can be seen in their connections via toponymy. European concepts of territory and political boundaries did not coincide with First Nation/American Indian views, resulting in the mistaken view that Natives did not have formal concepts of their territories. And Tribes/First Nations with cross-border territory have special jurisdictional problems. This paper illustrates how many Native residents were very spatially aware of their own lands, as well as neighboring nations’ lands, overlaps between groups, hunting territories, populations, and trade networks. Finally, the Sinixt First Nation serve as a perfect example of a case study on how an Aboriginal people are currently inputting and using a GIS representation of their territory with proper toponymy and use areas.

Territoriality Beyond the State: The EU’s Territorial Claims and the Search for Their Legitimacy

AbstractQuite a few recent ECJ judgments touch on various elements of territorial rule. Thereby, they raise the profile of the main question this Article asks: Which territorial claims does the EU make? To provide an answer, the present Article discusses and categorizes the individual elements of territoriality in the EU’s architecture. The influence of EU law on national territorial rule on the one hand and the emergence of territorial governance elements at the European level on the other provide the main pillars of the inquiry. Once combined, these features not only help to improve our understanding of the EU’s distinctly supranational conception of territoriality. What is more, the discussion raises several important legitimacy questions. As a consequence, the Article calls for the development of a theoretical model to evaluate and justify territoriality in a political community beyond the state.

The environmental geopolitics of allocation: State power and institutional stability in Eastern Atlantic bluefin tuna management

Geopolitical contests over oceanic space and resources commonly manifest in inter-state resource management bodies. That ocean spaces and resources defy a territorial conception of the nation-state means that the environmental geopolitics that emerge are shaped by the nature of oceans and oceans resources. In this context, allocation is among the most pressing and contentious tasks that inter-state bodies managing transboundary resources face as they carve up and distribute access to valuable, shared resources. This paper examines the allocation of highly migratory, and highly valuable, Eastern Atlantic bluefin tuna to contribute to understanding of state power and institutional stability in transboundary resource management. Drawing on observation of an allocation negotiation and historical allocation patterns, the analysis animates and extends critical property scholarship to develop an environmental geopolitics of allocation. Findings reveal that states form, contest and maintain power by making claims based not only on rights, but also on duties that they perform to the benefit of other states in collective management. Powerful states also make concessions in the allocation process, giving up some historical rights in order to stabilize the multilateral body that enables their dominance in the fishery. Given new and renewed interest in managing shared species, spaces and resources in the oceans and beyond, viewing allocation through the lens of property reveals state power as expressed through a combination of rights and duties between states bound together in management by the materiality of transboundary and mobile natures.