Representing Place and Territorial Identities in Europe (eBook)

This book provides insight into the topic of place and territorial identity, which involves both the dimension of collective belonging and the politics of territorial planning and enhancement. It considers the social, economic and political effects of territorial identity representations among others in terms of mystification, spatial fetishism, and the creation of place and territorial stereotypes. A mixed methodology is employed to research case studies at diverse territorial scales which are relevant to the impact of a variety of factors on place/territorial identity processes such as migration, political and economic changes, natural disasters, land use changes, etc. Visual imagery, constructing visual discourses and living within visual cultures are placed in the foreground and refer to among others the changes and challenges introduced by the Internet and social networks in place/territory representations and self-representations; identity politics and its impact on place/territorial identity representations; discourses in shaping representations and self-representations of territorial/place-based identities related to collective memory, cultural heritage, invented tradition, imagined communities and other key notions.

Tiziana Banini is Associate Professor of Geography at Sapienza University of Rome, Italy. In 2012 she gained the National Scientific Qualification as Full Professor in Geography. She is the National Coordinator of the Research Group of A.Ge.I. (Association of Italian Geographers) on 'Territorial Identity' (since 2008). Her main research interests are in territorial identity, socio-cultural processes, local development and participative processes, environmental issues and problems.

Oana-Ramona Ilovan is Associate Professor of Geography at Babe?-Bolyai University, Cluj-Napoca, Romania. She is the founder and editor-in-chief of the scientific journal Territorial Identity and Development (since 2016) and the Director of Territorial Identities and Development Research Centre. Her main research interests are regional geography, territorial identity, qualitative methodology, cultural landscapes, participative processes and urban development.