Territories

Politics and political relationships underpin the world we live in. From the division of the earth's surface into separate states to the placement of 'keep out' signs, territorial strategies to control geographic space can be used to assert, maintain or resist power and as a force for oppression or liberation. Forms of exclusion can be consolidated and reinforced through territorial practices, yet they can also be resisted through similar means. Territoriality can be seen as the spatial expression of power, with borders dividing those inside from those outside. The extensively revised and updated second edition continues to provide an introduction to theories of territoriality and the outcomes of territorial control and resistance. It explores the construction of territories and the conflicts which often result using a range of examples drawn from various spatial scales and from many different countries. It ranges in coverage from conflicts over national territory (such as Israel/Palestine, Northern Ireland, South Ossetia) to divisions of space based around class, gender and race. While retaining the key elements of the first edition, this new edition covers contemporary debates on nationalism, territorialization, globalization and borders. It updates the factual content to explore the territorial consequences of '9/11', the 'war on terror' and the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan. It also examines migration, refugees, the territorial expansion of the European Union, and territorial divisions in the home and workplace.

1. Introduction -- 2. Territory and Territoritality -- 3. The Territorial State -- 4. Nations and Nationalism -- 5. Nationalism, Territory and Space -- 6. The Future of the Sovereign State -- 7. Territory, Locality and Community -- 8. Territory and Society -- 9. Conclusions.