Epistemologies of Land

Land is a crucial factor in public debates, but its meaning is often misunderstood. This book explores how the understanding of land has become reduced to "land as commodity" and its consequences. It suggests alternative ways of understanding land that could help establish intellectually abundant and ecologically sustainable ways of relating to the land we live on. Contributors include Eloisa Berman Arevalo, Shailaja Fennell, Inanna Hamati-Ataya, Katarina Kusic, Maarten Meijer, David Nally, Sakshi, Leo Steeds, and Anna Wolkenhauer.

Format: Hardback
Length: 198 pages
Publication date: 31 January 2024
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing Plc

Land is a central issue in public debates, including climate adaptation, housing, development, agriculture, and indigenous peoples' rights. However, the meaning of land varies significantly across contexts, leading to misunderstandings and impasses in these discussions. To address this, a landmark open access book titled "Epistemologies of Land" brings together experts in epistemology and land to explore the complex role of land knowledge in these debates. Throughout history, land has been understood in various ways, but in recent decades, the dominant understanding of land as a commodity has gained global prominence. This understanding has had devastating consequences, not only for the people and animals living on and from the land that is increasingly appropriated for extractivist purposes but also for our ability to imagine alternative relationships with land in the future. In "Epistemologies of Land," scholars delve into the historical transformation of land understanding, its negative effects, and the potential for alternative perspectives to establish intellectually rich and ecologically sustainable ways of relating to the land we live on. The book highlights how a shift in perspective, thinking society through land, can provide a foundation for greater knowledge about land and a different kind of environmental and social knowledge that can recover forgotten wisdom about our historical relationship with land. Contributors to the book include Eloisa Berman Arevalo, Shailaja Fennell, Inanna Hamati-Ataya, and Katari.

Weight: 442g
Dimension: 236 x 160 x 19 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781538176443