The Territorial Imperative

The Territorial Imperative: A Personal Inquiry Into the Animal Origins of Property and Nations
AuthorRobert Ardrey
IllustratorBerdine Ardrey (née Grunewald)
LanguageEnglish
SeriesNature of Man Series
Publication date
1966[1]
Pages400
ISBN1568361440
Preceded byAfrican Genesis 
Followed byThe Social Contract 

The Territorial Imperative: A Personal Inquiry Into the Animal Origins of Property and Nations is a 1966 nonfiction book by American writer Robert Ardrey. It characterizes an instinct among humans toward territoriality and the implications of this to property ownership and nation building.[1] The Territorial Imperative was influential at the time, and encouraged public interest in human origins.

The Territorial Imperative is the second book in Ardrey's Nature of Man Series; it is preceded by African Genesis (1961) and followed by The Social Contract (1970) and The Hunting Hypothesis (1976). It was illustrated by Ardrey's wife, the South African actress and illustrator Berdine Ardrey (née Grunewald). Ardrey dedicated The Territorial Imperative to Henry Eliot Howard, who was noted for being one of the first to describe in detail the territorial behaviors of birds.

  1. ^ a b "The Territorial Imperative". Digital Text International. Archived from the original on 2012-03-13. Retrieved 2012-03-24.