Why is the world divided territorially
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 20071377 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Stuart Elden (0000-0002-7885-2444, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2019 |
| Pages | 212-233 |
| Publication date | 2019-01-18 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | No |
| Type | CHAPTER |
| Venue | Global Politics (SOURCE_BOOK) |
| Publisher | Routledge (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.4324/9781315099118-11 |
| OpenAlex | W2913387039 |
| ISBN | 9781315099118 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 2 |
The physical maps show a world that has changed little in human history, although our knowledge of it certainly has. Territorial changes were common until the 1940s, many new states emerged from the process of decolonisation after the Second World War, and certain areas – notably eastern Europe and central Asia – will have dramatically changed. Taking this kind of perspective shows us that the division of the world into separate territorial units, called states, is both artificial and arbitrary. The division of the world into territorial units called states reflects a particular relation to space. In practice there are many instances where this is clearly not the case, but the assumptions function as an important legal and political fiction that structures the world and helps to maintain the international order. The ancient Greek city-state, known as a polis, was one of the earliest forms of political unit in Europe
Decolonization · Economy · Geography · Political science · Politics · World War II · Classical Antiquity Studies · Computer Science · Eurasian Exchange Networks · Historical and Architectural Studies · History · Law · Mathematics
| Unique citing works | 2 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 0,17 |
| Citation span | 2014 - 2022 (9) |
| Citation velocity | historical |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 2 |