Conclusions. Towards a new agenda for place/territorial identity research

This chapter constitutes the conclusion to the collective book titled “Representing Place and Territorial Identities in Europe: Discourses, Images, and Practices”, edited by the authors. This book started from the premise that representations count a lot in the construction of place / territorial identities. The concluding chapter highlights the role of territorial identities and identity narratives/representations in fostering resilience at various scales. First, it discusses the focus on local or regional territorial identities, on the relevance of place in preserving heritage and in boosting development. Then, concerning methodology, it reveals the diversity of research material enabling the study of representations: written and oral text, and visual imagery, in face to face interaction and online. This chapter argues that issues relating to specific places/territories mature at the local scale, but they assume breadth and worldwide resonance thanks to the networks of social and economic relationships that bind people and places on the entire planet. It also underlines the need to never stop studying the identity representations of places/territories in a critical and proactive way, because it is also on them that the affirmation of a sustainable, inclusive, and participatory way of living the world depends.