territoir

Territorior is a neologism used in geography and political science to denote a situated, dynamic construction of space that emerges from the interaction of formal borders, ecological features, and local practices. The term blends territory with terroir to signal that places are not only governed by sovereign claims but also defined by environmental conditions, historical memory, and everyday activities. In this view, territory is a process as much as a boundary, produced by governance arrangements, infrastructure, resource flows, and cultural meaning.

Key features of the concept include the idea that boundaries are negotiated and porous, and that governance is multi-scalar and relational. A territorior encompasses legal jurisdiction, land and resource use, ecological networks, and the social meanings attached to a place by communities, workers, and institutions. It emphasizes interconnections among actors, spaces, and times, and treats place as both materially anchored and socially constructed.

Territorior is used in analyses of cross-border regions, indigenous and customary lands, urban hinterlands, rural-urban interfaces, and, increasingly, digital or virtual spaces where jurisdiction and identity converge. Researchers apply methods such as ethnography, participatory mapping, geographic information systems, and discourse analysis to trace how territorial claims are made, challenged, and reinforced.

Critiques of the concept concern potential vagueness or overextension, and the risk of conflating related ideas such as territory, place, and terroir. Some scholars argue for precise definitions and clear methodological boundaries to avoid ambiguity in comparative studies.

See also: Territory, Terroir, Place, Borderlands, Spatial justice.