Abstract
The etymology of the term “region” haunts as much as it animates the study of regionalism. Genealogies of the concept attest that at its root, it refers to a realm or “an administrative division; a subdivision of a larger geographical or political unit, for economic, administrative, or cultural purposes.”¹ “A region is a part of something beyond itself,” Sandra A. Zagarell reminds us, and it is often seen as subordinate to powers that penetrate and supersede it.² By this account, the region is a site of governability. Regions emerge as disciplinary units that lend themselves to their study and administration.