Territorial identity as a subject of foreign geography in late 20th century and the first decades of 21st century

The paper discusses the main directions and topics of research on the phenomenon of territorial identity in the world human geography over the last four decades of the 20th and 21st centuries; studies of territorial identity in Russian geography are not specifically considered, these topics deserve a separate article. Territorial identity is understood as a system of the prevailing ideas of people about their belonging to a certain territorial cultural group. In Western human geography, there is a wide range of opinions on the relationship between the concepts of territorial identity and spatial identity. Sometimes these terms are considered synonymous, but more often they are interpreted in different ways. Thus, territorial identity is always associated with the people themselves, their regional and local communities; spatial identity – mainly with the places where these people live and which they perceive as “theirs”. The main hierarchical levels of territorial identity are local and regional. National identity usually refers in human geography to territories within the borders of national states and is also often interpreted as one of the upper levels of territorial identity. This article compares the national traditions of territorial identity studies in Anglo-Saxon (British-American), Francophone and German-speaking geography and elucidates their contemporary trends. The practical significance of the territorial identity research is discussed, including for Russia.