Workshop language: German or English (as needed)
The issue of land tenure is a critical and multifaceted challenge Africa, with profound implications for social equity, economic development, and political stability. Land tenure systems determine who has access to land, under what conditions, and with what rights. These systems are deeply embedded in historical, institutional, and social contexts, and they vary significantly across and within countries.
This workshop will present the initial findings of an interdisciplinary research project for discussion. The project targets the issue of land tenure in Africa by different analytical lenses (land tenure regimes, Boone; limited access orders, North et al.; citizen and subject, Mamdani) to develop an integrated, comparative approach. Land tenure is an issue of economic, social, political, as well as cultural relevance, which is also crucial to determine power relations, especially in African economies (comparably agrarian) and societies (land access being a central resource of subsistence and participation).
Because the state often controls access to land, either directly or indirectly, land tenure regimes provide an opportunity to examine questions of authoritarianism and democratic participation in Africa. These institutions also play a decisive role in how conflicts over land arise, are resolved, or are suppressed, whether within families or at the level of national politics.
After a brief input, we will discuss these topics with the workshop participants. In doing so, we will invite them to address key questions that we are dealing with in the project: How can we meaningfully connect general patterns with local specificities? How can theoretical approaches be integrated into practical work? What insights can we gain from the discussed perspectives for development practice and policy?
Workshop lead:
Andreas Exenberger is economist and economic and social historian at the University of Innsbruck. His main fields of research are global economic and social history and institutional economics with a focus on development and inequality and a regional focus on Africa.
Bettina Mahlert is sociologist at the University of Innsbruck. Her main fields of research are sociological theory; society, politics and citizenship; social inequalities; development; and mobility.
For this project, Andreas Exenberger and Bettina Mahlert are collaborating with history, political science, and sociology specialists from Debre Markos University in Ethiopia, the Management Center Innsbruck, and the University of Innsbruck.
Network of Areas at the University of Innsbruck: In the context of increasing globalization, the targeted scientific examination of different regions of the world is of central importance. To this end, the University of Innsbruck collaborates with universities, networks, and other research associations around the world. The Network of Areas (NoA) pools the university’s research activities on specific regions, addressing socially relevant issues and regional challenges.
