Identity, Territoriality, and Power

Abstract

Identity, identity politics, and the relation of identity to territory, are all highly charged questions today, both in Israel and the United States. The issues are examined in this paper at the urban level, with the suggestion that they are also applicable at the national level. It is argued that the relationship to territory is but one of many factors shaping identity, and even where the relationship is strong, it need not be linked to territoriality, that is, to the formal or physical control of particular territory.