Delany's Introduction to Territory

Delany's discussion on territories is interesting in that it opened my eyes to all the territories that jurisdict the way in which our world operates. There are territories that separate countries, states, cities, towns, blocks, houses,rooms,etc. Much of how we live our lives is by abiding or violating territories. I really like how he started the reading with, "Nothing better reveals how something is supposed to work than when it isn't working." This is very true, and it was thought provoking how he used that quote to describe the ongoing Iraq War, and even more examples of war in the past. So much of how the world functions is through establishing territories, and using them for a sense of security. Within the walls of the territory are the "us", and outside are the "them". With these attitudes, separate cultural and social perceptions are developed. Or even within the territory of one's own room ,one can create their own norms within their own space. Shifts in territorial space, such as my own apartment becoming accessible to the public, or spaces in public, like the quad, become privatized would drastically change the way in which society conducts itself.