Land in Violent Conflict Studies

Abstract

Numerous civil wars are linked to land conflicts and grievances, even if this link cannot be reduced to a simple causal relationship. This chapter outlines some connections between land and violent conflicts, highlighting three forms of interconnection. First, it describes how land tensions play a role in the emergence and escalation of violent conflict. Second, it examines how land property relations are fashioned and transformed by the effects of violence. Third, it presents some of the conflict-resolution techniques that have been elaborated in response to land-related violence. The chapter takes a decisive step away from the dominant approaches embraced by development practitioners and aid agencies, which tend to think in terms of transitional sequences that shift directly away from war toward “postconflict.” It argues instead for a better appreciation of the connections between lengthy transformations in the political economy of land and shorter-term variations in the intensity of violence.