About the project
Conflicts due to unresolved land claims are a pressing political and social issue throughout Latin America.
A better understanding of the normative considerations that underlie land claims and the strategies that have been adopted to pursue them in Latin America can help facilitate dialogue between social actors that currently are in conflict over land claims.
Full project description (pdf)
Objectives
The primary objectives was to investigate and evaluate the moral legitimacy of land claims by indigenous and non-indigenous communities in Latin America, and to explore the means that these communities can adopt to vindicate those of their claims that are legitimate.
The secondary objectives of the project was to:
- Understand the types of historical and non-historical land claims made by different groups of disadvantaged people in Brazil, Chile, and Mexico.
- Provide an account of the three different moral principles that seem to underlie the land claims made by these disadvantaged people: the principle of contribution, the principle of benefiting from injustice, and the principle of assistance.
- Evaluate the soundness of the different claims in light of the three different principles.
- Explore what means disadvantaged people may employ to vindicate legitimate land claims when the current owners and the state fail to honor these claims
Outcome
The results of this investigation was communicated in peer reviewed journal articles, edited collections based on the papers from the workshops, radio podcasts and other media contributions.
The project also conducted PhD courses in Latin American countries on central research themes.
Duration
2011-2014.
Financing
The project was funded by The Research Council of Norway.
CSMN
The project was hosted by the completed Centre for the Study of Mind in Nature (CSMN).