This book, edited by Joost Dessein, Elena Battaglini and Lummina Horlings, launches the concept of ‘territorialisation’ and explores how the natural environment and culture are constitutive of each other. The concept of territorialisation allows us to study the characterisation of the natural assets of a place; the means by which the natural environment and culture interact; and how communities assign meaning to local assets, add functions and ascribe rules of how to use space.
The book contributes to our understanding of sustainable regional development by highlighting the time-space dimension of development and the varied ways in which people use resources.
The cases represent different scales, a variety of locations and several continents (Europe, North and South America, Africa, Australasia). The authors analyse these cases as the outcome of interaction between human intentionality, place-based characteristics and cultural history. The book provides empirical and theoretical insights into how these cultural expressions can contribute to sustainable regional development.
The book is published by Routledge in the new Series Routledge studies in culture and development.
This book will be valuable for the students and researchers in the field of rural sociology, rural development and regional development, I appreciate the efforts of authors and editors.