Territorial Reconfiguration Research Articles

New Spain through the Lens of Spatial Humanities: The Case of the Bishopric of Michoacán

This article provides an overview of the development of spatial humanities in Mexico, focusing specifically on the Bishopric of Michoacán. This ecclesiastical and jurisdictional unit, established during the Viceroyalty of New Spain, has recently been examined through the lens of spatial humanities. Our review identifies that this approach, when combined with traditional historical methods, can be highly effective in advancing research on territorial reconfiguration processes involving both Spanish and Indigenous actors. Furthermore, we present two examples of geographical text analysis (GTA) applied to the Relaciones Geográficas of Michoacán. Building on this review and the examples, we aim to encourage researchers interested in Mexico's past to enhance the potential of early historical sources by extracting valuable information intertwined with the spatial data contained in these documents.

The rise of the penguins: analysing the trajectory of a peripheral elite in Argentina (1991–2003)

ABSTRACT In recent years, there has been an increasing amount of research on subnational policies and multilevel studies. Nevertheless, much remains to be understood about how peripheral elites enter central institutions and succeed in exerting an influence in national politics. The present article illustrates these dynamics through the case of the so-called ‘penguins’ – that is, the group of leaders from the coalition called ‘Front for Victory’ (Frente para la Victoria [FPV]) from Patagonia that has been ruling Argentina since 2003. After analysing the profile of this marginal group led by Néstor Kirchner, we reflect on the reasons for its success. The present study makes three contributions to the literature. First, it shows how Argentina’s territorial reconfiguration of power facilitated a renewal of political elites. Second, it illustrates the fact that political paths in territorial tiers of government can be analysed collectively. And lastly, it highlights the role of social crises in stimulating changes that affect the very nature of political elites.

Singularities of Timor-Leste’s Process of Self-Determination (1974–2002)

Abstract The self-determination of Timor-Leste presents singular features in contexts of Portuguese decolonization and global politics. It spans three periods: Portugal’s territorial reconfiguration after the Carnation Revolution; re-colonization under a major international player in global decolonization; and direct involvement of the United Nations in final phases leading to independence. It distinctively combines struggle for self-determination with a plight for broad human rights. A transnational multitude of actors, from colonial and neo-colonial powers to the UN and leading regional and world powers, blended state diplomacy with “citizens diplomacy” arising from the mobilization of civil society and the impact of international public opinion.

Soviet Diplomatic Efforts to Prevent Hungary’s Alignment with Germany in World War II (1939– 1941)

The history of Soviet-Hungarian interactions from the establishment of diplomatic relations until Hungary joined World War II alongside the Axis powers offers valuable insights into the dynamics between small and great powers, as well as the efforts of small European states, particularly Hungary, to navigate their national interests in foreign policy amidst Nazi Germany's encroachments. This period was defined by two primary factors: the Hungarian political elite, led by Miklós Horthy, sought to join a quasi-"crusade" against Comintern Soviet Russia, while simultaneously striving to avoid deep involvement in major conflicts between the great powers. This dual approach aligned with the policies of Hitler's Western appeasers, who aimed to redirect German expansion eastward. In this geopolitical scenario, American and Western European actors (including Great Britain and France) were relegated to the role of observers, anticipating a prolonged conflict between Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union that would drain both. Hungary, as strategized by Budapest, hoped to secure a position among these observers, avoiding direct conflict participation, and to later engage in territorial reconfiguration post-World War II. However, the reality in Europe by the early 1940s diverged significantly, with Western powers (the USA and Great Britain) unable to redirect Hitler's global domination ambitions eastward. Facing an existential threat, these powers were compelled to enter the war. Against this backdrop, Soviet diplomacy endeavored to deter Hungary's alliance with Nazi Germany. Although ultimately unsuccessful, examining these diplomatic efforts offers valuable lessons in the context of the current evolution towards a multipolar world.

When 'green' becomes 'saffron': Wind extraction, border surveillance, and citizenship regime at the edge of the Indian state

Low-carbon mega-infrastructures constitute one of the main institutional responses to climate change in India's agrarian settings, as they are imagined around features of 'greenness' and 'cleanness.' But this story entails a problematic construction of land, the reconfiguration of space for extractive development, and a complete disruption of agrarian social structures around features of exclusion and dispossession. This research adopts perspectives from political ecology to understand the persistence of class-caste relations, the legacy of coloniality, and the new citizenship regime underlying 'green' extractivism in India's low-carbon infrastructures. Wind turbines align with broad ethno-religious conceptions of Indian citizenship and space as Hindu, and their expansion over new border areas serves nationalist projects of territorial reconfiguration, cultural identity revivalism, border-making, and Muslim populations' surveillance.

Connected and disrupted hydrosocial territories: the making of modern socionatures through inter-basin water transfers

Actual and projected water scarcity has accelerated the scale of hydrological infrastructure and the number of Inter-Basin Water Transfers (IBWTs), which move freshwater from one geographically distinct river catchment or basin to another. IBWTs are supply-side programs that pose distinct water governance challenges. If all projected IBWTs are completed by 2050, the volume of water transferred would be 48% of global water withdrawals. This article examines IBWTs from a socionatural perspective. Building on the political ecology scholarship of hydrosocial territories, I probe how IWBTs co-constitute and reconfigure socionatural relations, and how these are experienced by communities and ecologies in unequal ways. I discuss how IBWTs bring about changes, what features of hydrosocial territories they influence, and what conflicts emerge. For 29 IBWTs I define their multiple socionatural dimensions – biophysical, socioeconomic and governance – and the interrelations between them. IBWTs generally degrade biophysical and socioeconomic conditions for communities in water-sending "donor" basins, and condition future territorial reconfigurations. Water governance institutions are ill-equipped to take on the challenge that IBWTs bring in governing across multiple basins, indicated by the conflicts they generate. These concern defense of territory and ways of life, as well as allocation disputes. Political conflicts emerge because worlds shift irrevocably when IBWTs become fixtures of hydrosocial territories.

BRIDGING CONCEPTS: MULTI-LEVEL GOVERNANCE AND PARADIPLOMACY EXPLAINING TERRITORIAL CHANGES IN EUROPE

There are two distant conceptual cousins that analyse the external mobilisation of subnational entities, one being European Studies – Multi-Level Governance and the other International Relations – Paradiplomacy. The article first aims to analyse each concept against the dimensions of the politik to determine the conceptual focus and find more pronounced differences in the policy and politics dimensions. The second aim is to identify the theoretical bedrock underpinning both concepts. This article proposes the analogous theory of Neo-Medievalism, establishing that it has some application here; in this sense, the two concepts may be better at explaining wider territorial reconfiguration underway in Europe. Keywords: Paradiplomacy, Multi-Level Governance, Neo-Medievalism, European Union

Constructing payments for ecosystem services hydrosocial territories through assemblage practices: China’s Xin’an river basin eco-compensation pilot

This study employs the case of China’s Xin’an River Basin Eco-compensation Pilot to explore how the payments for ecosystem services (PES) can configure local water control arenas through various assemblage practices. The findings demonstrate that specific assemblage practices can construct a PES hydrosocial territory, which often reflects power struggles. We argue that the dynamic assemblage practices redefine the boundaries of the PES hydrosocial territory and trigger the reconfiguration of PES scalar territory. Finally, we draw attention to the critical role that state intervention plays in constructing China’s PES hydrosocial territory, reflecting China’s remarkable governance rationality and technology. Therefore, beyond the existing interpretation of PES hydrosocial territory, the analysis of the remaking of the Xin’an River Basin has promoted the study of hydropolitics to understand better the role of assemblage practices in PES hydrosocial territory.

Territorial reconfiguration process of the port city of Acapulco, Mexico

Acapulco ciudad puerto en la costa del Pacífico mexicano, fue el primer centro turístico de México a escala internacional, su imagen urbana ha variado de pequeño pueblo comercial y pesquero a gran centro vacacional; muestra una imagen en lo visual desordenada y en lo espacial un crecimiento irregular que perdió elementos característicos de su arquitectura tradicional y patrimonial. El objetivo del trabajo es analizar su reconfiguración territorial. Se aplica una metodología de orden mixto, cualitativa – cuantitativa. Se revelan sus transformaciones espaciales que han originado conflictos en el crecimiento espacial desequilibrado de la ciudad, donde el turismo es protagónico, así como en problemáticas socioeconómicas que se advierten con mayor énfasis hacia la periferia, de lo que resultan espacios de segregación, de disconformidad con dinámicas excluyentes y de desigualdad en un contexto en el que se visualizan espacios exclusivos junto con espacios precarios.

The Formation of Territories Free of Transgenics: Race, Space, and Mobilisation in Colombia

AbstractThe transgenic expansion has situated land and territorial disputes at the centre of the transformations of the global agrifood system. Feminist critical scholarship has examined how states and multilateral organisations exercise top‐down power to promote extractivist agrarian models of development, showing how they have accelerated and intensified material and immaterial dispossession for already poor farmers across the world. In this article, I contribute to this growing body of inquiry by examining how racialisation is entangled with communities’ discourses and tactics to generate seed and agrarian counter‐territorialisation processes. I concentrate on the formation of Territories Free of Transgenics in Colombia among peasant and Indigenous communities. I show the possibilities for socio‐epistemic and territorial reconfiguration that they offer, as well as their limitations. I demonstrate the critical role that racial formations play in seed struggles and the reformation of agrifood systems from below and point out further spaces of inquiry.

The territorial organization of Peru (1821–2021)

The year 2014 culminates for Peru the last border dispute at the international level, and and only on this date can the territory of the Republic be configured in its entirety. During the 20th century international land boundary agreements were reached with significant territorial losses, compared to the surface with which the Republic of Peru was born; and in the second decade of the 21st century international maritime boundaries were defined even with the participation of the International Court of Justice in The Hague. Regarding the internal territorial organization, after two centuries of republican life, Peru still faces many challenges. Approximately 75% of its political-administrative districts do not have boundaries established by law and are configured solely on the basis of referential limits with consequent internal boundary differences and permanent decision-making based on territorial informality.The progressive creation of non-functional constituencies, with evident political nuances, also constitutes a challenge in the attempt to configure rational constituencies.Similarly, the inability to create political-administrative regions leads to the consolidation of departmental bureaucracies that use their powers to weaken the regionalization process. This research, using historical analysis, develops the most relevant processes of territorial configuration and reconfiguration that took place between 1821–2021, which explain the current territorial organization of Peru.

DP 0266 - The Role of Industrial Sector in the Brazilian Territorial Reconfiguration: New Expressions for XXI Century National Dilemmas

In this article, we discuss the current pattern of territorial reconfiguration of the Brazilian industry, its current forms, and motivations in order to problematize some of the most significant challenges of the current regional issue. We have brought new evidence of how it keeps deconcentrating in the context of the persistent decline in the industrial participation in the national economy. We resumed the analysis on the micro-regional scale that showed the following results. 1) Relevant industrial agglomerations (RIAs) continue to flourish in all regions of the country. 2) Their preferred place is no longer the polygonal area of Diniz-Crocco (1996). 3) In terms of industrial job creation, the new RIAs for the period 1995-2015 generated more jobs than those established before 1995.

Podela Kosova i Metohije - realnost ili zabluda?

Although the topic of dividing Kosovo and Metohija into the Serbian and Albanian part was mostly avoided by officials, both national and international, it has been discussed in public since the 1960s, mostly owing to Dobrica Ćosić. By choosing the concept of "demarcation" as "the final solution" during the negotiations between Belgrade and Priština from 2018, the thinking about partition has been reaffirmed. At one point, the highest officials of the Republic of Serbia have announced that the idea represents an official position. However, there are four problems with this approach. Firstly, this concept has never been concretized at the official level. The proposals by Branislav Krstić and Dušan Bataković were probably considered, but not adopted as a part of the Serbian state strategy. Secondly, there was no preparation of the public for such an outcome or that work was sloppily done at the moment when the proposal, at least in principle, was declared official. Hence, the "shallow support" was relative, which is why the legitimacy of the idea was questioned. Thirdly, there are no serious indications that the Albanian party is interested in such an outcome. The attitude of politicians, their readiness to discuss this topic is not well accepted by the Albanian public, thus such a course of action is disputed. Even if a consensus was reached in the negotiations and some kind of agreement was signed with such content, it would remain open how long-term it would be and what consequences there would be in the future. The indications that demarcation can be considered are conditioned in such a way that it would actually represent essential delimitation, exchange of territories, with the accompanying request to continue the process of enlarging the Albanian ethno space. Fourthly, there is no agreement of international factors to carry out something like that. Also, when certain proposals were finally considered and "leaked to the public", they were in line with what the Albanian party was asking for and largely respected the Albanian interests. In the current format of negotiations, and in accordance with the position of the key Western countries responsible for the current situation in Kosovo and Metohija, the implementation of the concept of demarcation cannot have positive effects for Serbia, viewed from a short or long-term perspective whatsoever. The path to the partition of Kosovo and Metohija, just when such a concept would be accepted by international actors as a solution, is full of uncertainty and ambiguity. It is difficult to report such an idea without many consequences after its execution. If partition is to be considered as a solution, long and thorough preparation is necessary, taking into account all its aspects including the new territorial reconfiguration of the postYugoslav space, the implications for regional relations, security and stability.

EMERGENCE OF QUILOMBOLAS MOVEMENT OF MARANHÃO (MOQUIBOM)

This article aims to analyze the context of emergency of the Quilombolas Movement of Maranhão (Movimento Quilombola Maranhense - MOQUIBOM), in the middle of 2010, the politicization of identities, the processes of triggering the memory sustained on ancestrality, and territorial reconfigurations, which were provoked on quilombolas communities of Baixada Maranhense due to its geographical formation. This research is an investigation of qualitative approach with descriptive and exploratory goals made through bibliographic and documental studies. The theoretical contributions of Hall (2006), Halbwachs (1990), Raffestin (1993), Santos (1999), Sousa (2016), Araújo (2012), among others, allowed us to infer that the political fronts of MOQUIBOM act on the resignification of their identities, starting with the mobilization of their ancestrality with the intent of politicize their daily experiences, the construction of dignified conditions for social propagation, and the defense of their territories through the tensioning of the State for the assurance of public policies.

The Centre-Periphery Dialectics in Eastern Sicily Retail System. An Exploratory Research

This paper aims at scrutinizing from an historical perspective the deep transformations shaped by retail spaces and new consumption patterns challenging long-entrenched dichotomies, such as the centre-periphery one. In particular, the exploratory research explores the territorial reconfiguration of the main Eastern Sicily metropolitan areas, Catania and Messina, from the lens of the retail geography, namely after the diffusion of new suburban retail formats which have completely upset deeply-rooted relations between urban core and suburban rings.

Golf: Is It a New Form of Sustainable Tourism or a Violation of Traditional Rural Vocations? Italy and Brazil: Comparison between Two Case Studies

The present research work analyzes the path of territorial reconfiguration that has led to the new uses of agricultural land. In particular, the analysis focuses on the conflict of use between agriculture and sport. Is the sporting practice of golf a new form of sustainable tourism or a violation of traditional rural vocations? The paper compares two case studies in Italy and Brazil to try to answer the aforementioned research question. The two cases under study represent a conflict of land use between the hypothesis of persevering solely agricultural activity and the possibility of introducing new activities. Often, however, agriculture as the only activity practiced by a population is not enough to ensure a sufficient income; it is therefore necessary to diversify economic activities. As will be seen in the text, this does not mean a total abandonment of the primary activity in favor of other land uses apparently in contrast with it.

Imperial Science, Unified Forces and Boundary-Work: Geographical and Geological Societies in Vienna (1850–1925)

Scientific societies are among the most influential modes of scientific organisation. Emerging as bourgeois associations, mainly in the second half of the nineteenth century, these societies saw themselves as communication platforms for scholars and practitioners from diverse educational backgrounds. The boom of scientific societies in the capital of the Habsburg Empire during a period of great economic upswing led to both disciplinary differentiation and an increase in membership. Associations such as the Imperial-Royal Geographical Society (1856), the Club of Geographers at the University of Vienna (1874) and the Geological Society (1907) brought together members from all the crownlands of the monarchy. At their height, these societies were among the leading European players in their field, holding and administering funds and running expeditions. The outbreak of World War One offered them new scope to innovate and adapt, but the political dynamics of its aftermath, together with the loss of financial reserves, the erosion of traditional research fields and the cessation of scientific exchange with non-German-speaking countries, ultimately caused their long-term decline. The crisis of bourgeois society in the 1920s was closely bound up with the crisis of the bourgeois scientific societies, which were increasingly dominated by state research institutions; subsequently, some of these societies became rallying points for political radicalism. Based on archival research and statistical analysis, this paper will examine the correlation of scientific and political processes between 1850 and 1925 and their impact on the empire’s geoscientific research landscape. Particular attention will be paid to (1) the relationship between associations, state and public in the context of imperial statehood, bourgeois self-empowerment and disciplinary transformations, and (2) the impact of regime change, territorial reconfiguration and social upheaval on the societies’ practices of knowledge production and dissemination after 1914.

Reconfiguración del territorio y movimientos sociales: territorios en disputa

Este trabajo ofrece una reflexión teórica para dar cuenta de los movimientos sociales que establecen procesos de lucha y resistencia en contra de la reconfiguración territorial que el sistema capitalista ha producido conforme la geopolítica mundial en el contexto de la crisis ecológica planetaria contemporánea. Se abordan las movilizaciones sociales —bajo la política económica neoliberal— que han puesto como principal objetivo político combatir la devastación ecológica que se ha producido como correlato de la reproducción simple y ampliada de capital y la producción social del espacio que el desarrollo económico y la acumulación han producido. La relevancia de abordar los movimientos socioambientales en relación con la reconfiguración capitalista del territorio se encuentra en la necesidad de reflexionar sobre la complejidad y el reto que representa para las ciencias sociales y humanidades generar reflexiones críticas basadas en criterios múltiples, considerando las temporalidades y transdiciplinariedad acerca de la lucha y resistencia que la sociedad civil lleva a cabo para evidenciar y detener la sobreexplotación y contaminación de las condiciones biofísicas de los territorios. Los movimientos socioambientales contemporáneos luchan por la defensa de sus territorios y riquezas naturales bajo la incertidumbre, riesgo y vulnerabilidad de la actual crisis ecológica planetaria.

Reconfiguración de un territorio hidrosocial tras la construcción de la presa El Cajón, en Nayarit

El objetivo de este trabajo es analizar cómo la construcción de la presa El Cajón, ubicada sobre el río Santiago, en Nayarit, generó cambios físico-ambientales que modificaron las formas y medios de vida de una comunidad. El estudio se sustenta en investigación documental, recolección de información directa en campo mediante el método etnográfico, y análisis de las variables cualitativas. Se aportan evidencias de los cambios socioambientales, las tensiones y los conflictos que experimentan los actores de las comunidades contiguas y externas después de la construcción de grandes obras de infraestructura. La investigación es relevante porque el enfoque de territorios hidrosociales utilizado permitió entender la reconfiguración del territorio hídrico, y reveló cambios productivos y conflictos surgidos tras una competencia exacerbada por los recursos de la pesca comercial. Se concluye que es necesario reformular las intervenciones gubernamentales compulsivas que desatan este tipo de procesos, que incluyen las evaluaciones previas y los mecanismos de restitución y compensación social.

PENSAR EL TERRITORIO Y SUS RECONFIGURACIONES EN CONTEXTOS DE LUCHAS CONTRA EL EXTRACTIVISMO MINERO; El caso del Valle de Oaxaca, México

In this article I give an account of the experience of struggle and articulation of communities of the Valley of Oaxaca against the mining activity, I focus in a particular way in the case of San José del Progreso, municipality of the Central Valleys of Oaxaca and from this experience I show the different constructions and territorial reconfigurations that emerge in the context of the struggle against mining extractivism.