Introduction: Dealing with Territorial/Place Identity Representations

Place/territorial identity is a multifaceted research topic, which involves both the dimension of collective belonging and the politics of territorial planning and enhancement. Often identity is used as a mere tool of place/territorial promotion, without considering the social and political effects of such a promotion, in terms of mystification, spatial fetishism and the creation of place/territorial stereotypes. This contribution constitutes the introduction to the collective book titled “Representing Place and Territorial Identities in Europe: Discourses, Images, and Practices”, edited by the authors, whose aim was to discuss place/territorial identity representations in written and visual texts (official documents, scientific articles and books, newspapers, photographs, postcards, and other communication tools), related to well-known and lesser known European locations. Starting from an open, dynamic, relational, and participatory concept of the notion of “identity”, the contribution underlines the extreme variety of theoretical perspectives and research methods through which place/territorial identity representations can be examined. After highlighting some general theoretical and methodological reflections, comparing the Anglophone and Francophone-Italian geographic literature, the contribution first specifies the meanings attributed to the key-terms used in the book (place, territory, representation, identity), then it presents the sections and the chapters of the book, highlighting their objectives and research questions.