Nature and Territory. From epistemological reflection to methodological approach
21 & 22 May 2026
Istanbul (Turkey). Galatasaray University. Aydın Doğan Amphitheatre & Yıldızhan Yayla Amphitheatre.
In the social sciences, the notions of nature and territory maintain a close yet fundamentally ambivalent relationship. Nature has traditionally been conceived as a pre-existing entity, external to human societies and their institutions, whereas territory is understood as a spatial construct shaped by processes of appropriation, control, governance, and power. This distinction, largely inherited from modern epistemological frameworks, continues to structure ways of thinking about space, the environment, and relations between humans and non-humans.
This EURETES cycle proposes to put this dichotomy to the test by exploring zones of thresholds, friction, and intermediation where nature and territory are co-produced. Drawing on interdisciplinary perspectives, the aim is to interrogate the epistemological frameworks, political dispositifs, and methodological tools through which these categories are constructed, negotiated, and contested. The first day, dedicated to sharing participants’ contributions, is therefore linked to an introduction to cartographic methodological tools (GIS).
The cycle thus invites participants to rethink the boundaries between nature and territory not as fixed lines, but as relational spaces traversed by multiple forms of knowledge, situated practices, and heterogeneous power relations.