| Summary: | The international debate on the academic legitimacy has almost focused in the recent years on «third mission» and its evaluation as commitment to a territorial and social role of universities. This topic is of particular relevance for geographers, naturally involved in the seek for a territorial balance, and particularly stressed by reference to the social role of knowledge. A careful consideration and evaluation of the “third mission” from a geographic viewpoint – beyond its economic and enterpreneurial definition and towards a dimension of knowledge as public service and engagement – could increase academic legitimacy within the contemporary society, also through a rebalance of the evaluation system.
The aim of this paper is to encourage a reflexion about the theoretical and practical role of geographers in the definition of the “third mission”, since now misunderstood or neglected with mutual damage, both to the legitimacy of territorial involvement and activity, and both to the usefulness of geographic knowledge.
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