THE CHALLENGE OF TERRITORY CONSTRUCTION AND RECOGNITION IN TERRITORIAL ANALYSIS AND PROSPECTING PROCESSES

Abstract

This article aims to identify some of the main meanings and elements of territorial action that can help highlight the territory as an operational category for territorial development processes. The territory is considered a construction resulting from a social action linked to a constructivist perspective derived from the multi-actor interaction (and territorial operators) and influenced by a historical process in networks of power and socio-territorial coalitions. This study is based on bibliographical research, of heuristic and qualitative nature, dialoguing with a theoretical framework of critical-social nature that positions the territory as a socio-historical construction and whose mobilization aims to mitigate the challenges perceived in the development paths in a counter-hegemonic logic. Starting from the axioms and assumptions that characterize territorial development in a multidimensional perspective, based on theoretical categories such as territorial action, governance, and territorial heritage, this research seeks to identify references to guide the territorial analysis and prospecting processes. The study concludes that the territorial action category becomes a key element in understanding the conflicts between the actors and envisioning their representations and action logics at different levels and spatial scales in defining the territorially desired future.