Power / Knowledge / Land: Contested Ontologies of Land and Its Governance in Africa

The book "Power/Knowledge/Land" investigates the consolidation of a global knowledge regime surrounding land and its governance within international development circles following the outcry over "global land grabs." It profiles the growing enrollment of previously antagonistic actors within it and reveals the inner mechanics of a global knowledge regime that has enabled the commodification of customary land. By bringing theories of change from the emergent land governance orthodoxy into dialogue with ethnographic evidence, the book challenges concepts masquerading as universal and self-evident truths and highlights their role in commodifying customary land and entrenching colonial futurities.

Format: Hardback
Length: 348 pages
Publication date: 10 October 2022
Publisher: The University of Michigan Press

The 2008 outcry over the "global land grab" sparked widespread attention and has maintained a significant interest among academics and the international development community. In her book Power/Knowledge/Land, author Laura German explores the consolidation of a global knowledge regime surrounding land and its governance within international development circles following the controversy over "global land grabs." German also examines the growing enrollment of previously antagonistic actors within this regime. Drawing theoretical insights from ontological anthropology and decolonial theory, German employs pioneering analytical techniques inspired by the politics of knowledge to unveil the inner workings of a global knowledge regime that has facilitated the long-standing project of commodifying customary land by harnessing the energies of socially progressive forces. By engaging with ethnographic evidence from across the African continent and beyond, German challenges concepts that are often presented as universal and self-evident truths, revealing their role in commodifying customary land and perpetuating colonial futures. By bringing theories of change from the emerging land governance orthodoxy into dialogue with the ethnographic evidence, German provincializes these concepts and exposes their role in the land grab debate. The volume also broadens the academic debates surrounding productive forms of power within the context of land grabs, making them more accessible to a wider audience.

Power/Knowledge/Land extends current scholarly debates surrounding land grabs beyond their theoretical foundations in critical agrarian studies, political economy, and globalization, thereby facilitating the revelation of new dynamics of the phenomenon. German also delves deep into global knowledge, examining its implications for land governance and the broader political economy. Overall, Power/Knowledge/Land is a valuable contribution to the study of land grabs, offering a comprehensive analysis of the complex relationships between power, knowledge, and land in the global context.

ISBN-13: 9780472075331