My Land My Life: Dispossession at the Frontier of Desire

Land is central to identity in Oceania, and Indigenous dispossession from the land has deep and far-reaching consequences. Siobhan McDonnell's book explores the land rush in Vanuatu from 2001 to 2014, which resulted in over ten percent of all customary land being leased. She describes how property is a tool with which foreigners reassert capitalism and neocolonial control over Indigenous landscapes, and how transactions of customary land have created new domains of agency and frontiers of desire. The book concludes with a discussion of Vanuatu's constitutional and land reform package, drafted by the author, which took effect in 2014 and delivered a more empathetic approach to Indigenous land rights and ended the land rush.

Format: Hardback
Length: 277 pages
Publication date: 31 October 2023
Publisher: University of Hawai'i Press

Throughout Oceania, land holds a central place in identity, as it is believed to be spiritually nourishing and sustaining. Land is revered as the mother, providing the foundation for livelihoods and ways of life. Consequently, Indigenous dispossession from the land has profound and far-reaching consequences.

My Land, My Life: Dispossession at the Frontier of Desire delves into the land rush that occurred in Vanuatu from 2001 to 2014, resulting in over ten percent of all customary land being leased. In this insightful book, Siobhan McDonnell offers fresh perspectives on the driving forces behind capitalist land transformations. Through multi-scalar and multi-sited ethnography, she presents a complex web of interactions, revealing not a straightforward progression towards the commodification of the landscape by foreign interests but rather a intricate network characterized by the involvement of powerful Indigenous men in manipulating power and property.

McDonnell meticulously details land-leasing processes and maps the intricate relationships between investors, middlemen, and local men. She highlights how property serves as a tool used by foreigners to reassert capitalism and neocolonial control over Indigenous landscapes. The legal identity of landowner encompasses foundational contradictions between the rights established in Vanuatu's kastom system and those afforded by property, as individualized rights over land. Moreover, property has facilitated the production of masculine authority, enabling men to manipulate land claims and solidify their personal power.

This book explores how transactions involving customary land have created new domains of agency and expanded frontiers of desire. On the one hand, there is the foreign desire to possess land, driven by economic interests and the pursuit of capital. On the other hand, there is the local desire to lease land for cash, driven by the need for economic stability and the desire to escape poverty.

The book concludes with a discussion of Vanuatu's constitutional and land reform package, drafted by the author, which was implemented in 2015. This reform package aimed to address the historical injustices faced by Indigenous communities and to ensure their rights to land and resources. It recognized the importance of customary land and sought to establish a framework for its management and protection.

In conclusion, My Land, My Life: Dispossession at the Frontier of Desire provides a valuable exploration of the complex dynamics surrounding land dispossession and its impact on Indigenous communities. Through meticulous research and analysis, McDonnell sheds light on the ways in which land is intertwined with identity, livelihoods, and power. This book is a must-read for anyone interested in understanding the ongoing struggles of Indigenous peoples and the urgent need for land reform and justice.

Dimension: 235 x 156 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780824894450