O conceito de território em Jean Gottmann: construindo uma perspectiva de análise

Abstract

This research investigates the epistemological shifts within geographical thought and the concomitant construction of scientific knowledge through the intellectual trajectory of Jean Gottmann (1915–1994). Central to this study is the author’s 1973 conceptualization of territory, analyzed through the lens of the hybridity and transition between French Lablachean regionalism and the utilitarian, pragmatic Geography developed in the United States during the post-World War II era. The objective is to decipher the formulation of Gottmann’s territorial concept by scrutinizing how his idiosyncratic professional path and turbulent geopolitical contexts shaped his overarching worldview. Methodologically, the study employs the Bio-bibliographic Framework (Anselmo, 2000) for data systematization, underpinned by the theoretical constructs of Affinity Circles (Berdoulay), the Intellectual (Gramsci), and Worldview (Goldmann). The temporal scope spans the 1940s to the 1970s, with particular emphasis on the seminal work The Significance of Territory (1973). The analysis demonstrates that, for Gottmann, territory constitutes a dynamic and metamorphic construct, recalibrated by geopolitical imperatives and technological advancements. His intellectual output reflects the dialectical tensions between state sovereignty and the intricate lattice of international relations, where inter-state interactions are mediated by the dual forces of iconography and circulation. Furthermore, the study elucidates how Gottmann’s engagement with the Rockefeller Foundation and State apparatuses during the warfare period contributed to the crystallization of a scientific narrative aligned with the New World Order. It is concluded that Gottmann’s thought provides an indispensable interpretive framework for understanding political stability and the spatial regulation of human behavior. Given the exigencies of contemporary political Geography and the territorial projections for the " tomorrow’s society," as envisioned in 1961, the study of Gottmann’s oeuvre remains a vital endeavor for the advancement of geographical knowledge