TERRITORY AS A POLITICAL CATEGORY: GENESIS, TRANSFORMATION, AND MODERN CHALLENGES
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.32782/2312-1815/2025-21-16Keywords:
territory, sovereignty, Westphalian system, hybrid warfare, perforated sovereignty, political geography, deterritorialization, reterritorializationAbstract
The article is dedicated to the analysis of the evolution of the concept of “territory” as a fundamental category of political science. From the initial perceptions of territory as a space for survival and a resource for early communities to the classical Westphalian model of territorial sovereignty, it has gradually transformed into a key political category that defines the architecture of the international order. The article explores how territory is being reconceptualized in the context of modern hybrid conflicts, where the struggle is waged simultaneously in the physical, informational, and cyber spaces. The article argues that the contemporary understanding of territory extends far beyond geographical and legal definitions. It is transforming into a political construct that combines sovereignty, identity, security, and global network interactions.
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