Towards a Political Geography of Territorial Cooperation

Abstract

This article proposes to explore territorial cooperation using a political geographical approach as part of the broader field of “geography of peace.” In line with ongoing paradigm shifts in the branch of political geography concerned with territorial reconfigurations, it examines the scope of territorial cooperation via two emblematic figures: transnational regions, in the form of European macro-regions, and city networks, as exemplified by town twinning. Lastly, it opens new avenues of research on the articulation between the weak and discreet ties of territorial cooperation and the strong ties characteristic of the territorial divisions and administrative structures inherited from political modernity.

Keywords

• territorial cooperation
• political geography
• borders
• transnational regions
• macro-regions
• city networks