The territory is not the Map: Steps towards a new Science

International audienceThis paper argues that an integrative science of territory is desirable and possible. It first examines certain prerequisites for the establishment of a new science and notes that these could be easily met by a science of territory. Next, it examines one of the most authoritative contributions to the notion of territory in the Anglophone literature, that by Robert Sack, revealing the complexity and interest of the topic. Related to this and briefly reviewed is GIScience research on boundaries. The paper then sketches out a possible theoretical framework for a science of territory, based on the notion of 'object of discourse'. The idea is that the richness of concepts underlying the notion of territory, ranging from parts of space to human intentionality, may be captured on four different levels of meaning that work together but may be approached by methods appropriate to each. The paper closes with some suggestions about possible organizational forms to help establish a science of territory