Territory: The Claiming of Space

Abstract

Territory provides a comprehensive introduction to theories of territoriality and the geographical outcomes of territorial control. It explores both macro-scale territoriality (e.g. the emergence of nations and state formation) and micro-scale territoriality (e.g. the 'designation' of particular spaces in urban areas or domestic contexts). Politics and political relationships underpin the world we live in. From a geographical perspective, the most obvious manifestation of this is the division of the Earth's surface into political units (states and sub-state divisions). There are also less explicit forms of territorial division which occur in more micro-scale contexts. Whether explicit or implicit, control over territory is a key political motivating force. Competing territory claims are a major source of conflict. The processes of control and the contestation over particular territory are thus key elements in what is known as political geography.