L'invenzione della regione. La soggettività della regionalizzazione e il caso della Brianza.

“Region” is a keyword that has dominated geographical discourse ever since this field became institutionalized. It is usually defined as a part of the surface of the Earth that presents characteristics that differentiate it from other areas. Many scholars outlined the objectivity of this concept claiming that regions exist even before being identified. Moving away from this view, the main aim of this research is to prove that regions are inventions, namely human constructs specially created for some purpose. For example, researchers may need to define a region in order to study the areal distribution of a particular element and governments usually divide their territory in regional units in order to share powers and functions with local authorities. Mirroring people’s mental maps, both individual and shared, and human feelings and attitudes towards territories, a region may be also defined by the subjective images of those areas. These subjective images result from everyday life practices in which the direct experience of the territory occurs through physical senses. As a result, regions are human constructs whose boundaries and characteristics are derived from a criterion or from sets of specific criteria. If defined by several criteria and by their interaction, regions are considered “complex regions”. Moreover, regions are likely to vary over time in both spatial extent and characteristic. Hence the kind of region that we define depends on which types of characteristics we choose to analyze. Brianza can be specifically regarded as a complex region, difficult to be determined by just one criterion. As a matter of fact, Brianza is a perceptual region that is thought of as being a spatial unit, although it does not have precise borders or even commonly accepted regional characteristics. Therefore, problems arise when trying to map this region. In particular, it is difficult to border Brianza according to the numerous elements constituting the region and that can be singled out in its landscape. In such cases, the introduction of a new methodology of regionalization is strongly advisable. The first step is the identification of the most important characteristics pertaining to the regional landscape. The second is the analysis of their spatial distribution. Then it is crucial to ask the inhabitants about their recognition of these features in the territory. It is also fundamental to inquire about the perceived extension of their region, in order to find a common view. Finally, these distributions and perceptions can be mapped to try to establish a core territory and some possible boundaries of the region. This methodology could definitely be considered a new interesting way to tackle the problem of describing complex regions and to continue to make use of the region as a tool for geographical studies.