Societies have a sense of spatial belonging
It is impossible to separate a society from the space it controls or occupies. The social and the geographical are entwined.
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Context
Societies are connected with a sense of spatial belonging. It is impossible to separate the society from the territory or the social from the territory.
The Argument
“Home”, as a metaphorical and physical construct, is an integral part of a society. Members of society share a common territorial home and an affinity for those within that locality.
This is why immigrants to new societies have to go through a period of assimilation, during which they are often marginalized. As their affinity for the new territory grows, as does their integration, and eventually they become a fully assimilated member of that society with a shared construct of “home”.
A society is defined by its geospatial home, and distinct from societies that occupy another home.
Counter arguments
If society is dependent on the notion of a shared territory, the process of globalization would be synonymous with erosion of the society.
As globalization creates more porous borders and creates a more mobile workforce, melting the hard borders that divide nations, it would tear societies apart.
The fact that the concept of a society in today’s world remains consistent and societies remain intact suggests that either there has been an uncoupling of territory from society, or that it was never an integral part of a society to begin with.[1]
Framing
Society's geospatial location is integral for its function and formation. Without a "home" there can be no society.
Premises
[P1] Societies develop around a specific location.
[P2] Therefore, a territory or geospatial home is an integral component of a society.
[P3] Therefore, a society is reducible and definable by its territory or "home".
Rejecting the premises
[Rejecting P2] Globalization is creating a more mobile workforce with weaker ties to their "home".
But it is not damaging societies.
Therefore, a specific territory is not an integral part of a society's development or function.