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Introduction
This paper asks a question that to the best of my knowledge has not been asked the social
sciences: What is the Homeland and how is it shaped?
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By “Homeland” I mean the
territory for which people are willing to sacrifice their blood and treasure. Homeland, in
this paper thus, refers not to any specific homeland but to the general concept. While
“homeland” is a commonly used term in the United States, in other cultures the terms
“fatherland” or “motherland” are more common. These terms, and others like it, are laden
with emotional overtones and assign special value to a circumscribed territory. This paper
therefore seeks to explain how the territory of the Homeland is defined and
circumscribed.
Since this is not only a new but also a complex question, I will first explain why it
is important. Next I briefly outline the central answer. In the third section, I examine what
many seem to consider a potential competing explanation. In the fourth section, and the
bulk of this paper, I pit my theoretical framework against the historical record, with
particular emphasis on France during the reign of Philip the Fair (1283-1314). In the
conclusion, I briefly sum up, and discuss some extensions of the framework.
Why the question is important
Now, as always, groups struggle to achieve exclusive control over territory. Conflict over
territory has played a central role in the history of state formation and the formation of
the international system. Conflict over territory is a particularly important topic for
international relations since research has shown that “conflicts over territory are more
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The quote from Michael Collins is from Carrying the Fire, An Astronaut’s Journeys: 470.
Convention