Proposing a theoretical framework for local territorial identities: concepts, questions and pitfalls

When local territorial identity is understood as closely linked to sustainable, participatory and place-based development issues, it can become a dynamic, open, and plural social construction process, through which collectivities/groups choose the distinctive characteristics of the territory they inhabit, in order to develop shared views and common targets for policy implementation. In this sense, territorial identity is not to be ‘unveiled’ or ‘discovered’, but ‘built’ through a research-action focused on the opinions, attitudes, and expectations of local collectivities towards the territory they live or act in. As a research topic, local territorial identity is far from easy to deal with. Based on the key issues raised during the works of the national research group “Territorial Identities” of A.Ge.I. (Association of Italian Geographers), founded in 2008, the contribution aims at presenting some theoretical and methodological questions and pitfalls in studying territorial identities, proposing some possible answers