Repolitizing the territories. Reflections on the concepts of territory and power in university extension

Abstract

In this article we make a brief review of the different meanings and implications of the category of "territory", a category of daily use in the field of university extension. For more than four decades, the concept of territory has been delved by relevant Latin American thinkers and it has had important local resignifications. In this direction, territory is understood as a space that is socially and culturally produced, related with power relations. Accordingly, the notion of power will be addressed in order to examine its relation with the concept of territory to see their effects in the practice of university extension. we will argue that territory plays a main role in the constitution and identity of the actors, organizations and social movements in Latin America, a singular feature of collective action in our continent. Finally, we will try to reflect the impact of the political dynamics and conflict present, explicitly or implicitly, in extension practices, both within the university and outside the university.