The birth of territory Territory is one of the central political concepts of the modern world and indeed functions as the primary way the world is divided and controlled politically. Yet territory has not received the critical attention afforded to other crucial concepts such as sovereignty rights and justice. While territory continues to matter politically and territorial disputes and arrangements are studied in detail the concept of territory itself is often neglected today. Where did the idea of exclusive ownership of a portion of the earths surface come from and what kinds of complexities are hidden