Introduction

Development remains a pressing issue across disciplines and policy interventions, yet its promises are often unfulfilled, especially considering challenges such as post-COVID-19 recovery, economic volatility, conflicts, poverty, inequality, climate change, and biodiversity loss. Traditional economistic approaches to development, which prioritise economic growth, fail to address these problems adequately. This book examines how alternative conceptualisations of territory and development are implemented in Latin America, highlighting contradictions and conflicts of growth-centric models and proposing new approaches that integrate diverse worldviews and participatory knowledge. By critiquing economistic views and advocating for territorial development, the book seeks to influence policies and practices towards more equitable outcomes. The book is divided into two parts: the first provides theoretical and historical context on development and territory in Latin America, while the second presents case studies showcasing the diverse understandings and implications of territory on development agendas.