Essentialist (traditional) versus constructivist approach to regional identity

Abstract

Identity is a concept with growing importance in the humanities, several social sciences as well as in geography. This article introduces the “traditional” concept of identity as it was understood in the past as well as (less frequently) today. A brief overview of changes of the understanding of the concept of identity in the social sciences is presented. The consequences of the development of the identity concept on the changes in the geographical understanding of identity are assessed and discussed.