Assistant Professor of Land and Trans-local Development, Utrecht University (1.0 FTE)
Application deadline: 11 March, 2022
The Department of Human Geography and Spatial Planning at the Faculty of Geosciences of Utrecht University is interested in attracting an early career academic in the fields of international development studies, geography, migration studies and linked social science disciplines.
The candidate will join the International Development Studies group at the department. Embedded in the Urban Futures programme, IDS has specialised in understanding local development in a context of rapidly changing flows of capital and people. Looking at the world as an interconnected place, an important starting point for our approach is that rather than depending essentially on ‘local resources’, livelihood opportunities are to a large extent determined by trans local relations, development corridors and development chains; what occurs in one locality will to a large degree depend on what is occurring in other places or, more precisely, on how local agencies interact with external (e.g., global, regional) forces. Focusing on the crossroads of migration and investments flows, we analyse the consequences of new flows and circulations (of people, goods, capital and knowledge) for inclusive and sustainable development in Asia, Africa and Latin America, focusing on the implications for sustainable livelihoods and human wellbeing. Against this backdrop, we are looking for a new colleague who is familiar with and has an ambition to develop our research agenda in critical development geography, cultural/social anthropology, agrarian or urban studies, and related fields.
The position involves 60% teaching and 40% research time. Core tasks include:
- teaching our Bachelor’s and Master’s level courses;
- Bachelor’s and Master’s thesis supervision;
- research, project acquisition and publishing and generating societal impact;
- PhD supervision;
- building and strengthening research and education networks in the field of International Development
Click here for more information and to apply
Posted: 11th May 2022 by Coordinator
Article: Learning from Africana critical theory: A historicized contextualization of the impacts of Mozambique’s natural gas project
By Emilinah Namaganda, Kei Otsuki, and Griet Steel
Over the past decade, Mozambique’s liquefied natural gas (LNG) project in the province of Cabo Delgado has symbolized a new development opportunity for the country. The project attracted foreign investments to the province, and the national government has used it to showcase its progress towards achieving the Sustainable Development Goals. The project however also introduced various socioeconomic ills including the displacement of over 10,000 people from their homes and livelihoods. Since 2017, Cabo Delgado province has simultaneously been an epicenter of armed violence, predominantly attributed to radical Islamic insurgency, communities’ marginalization from an expanding frontier of extractivism, and overall economic development. In this paper, we argue that understanding and addressing the negative impacts of contemporary extractivism in Mozambique require a historicized contextualization. Drawing on Africana critical theory (ACT), we contribute to this scholarly gap by highlighting several ways in which the challenges presented by the LNG project in Cabo Delgado are reminiscent of or rooted in colonial extractivism. To address the contradictions of contemporary extractivism, we propose that ACT scholarship which influenced some of the progressive policies of the anti-colonial and early post-independence periods may be insightful.
Click here to read the full article (open access)
Posted: 4th May 2022 by Coordinator
Register here for the LANDac Conference 2022!
You can now register for the LANDac Annual International Conference of 2022!
Click here to go to the registration form
We are very happy that we will be able to receive you on location again. Therefore, the conference will be held in a hybrid format from 29th of June until the 1st of July.
The LANDac Annual International Conference offers a podium for knowledge exchange between researchers, practitioners and private sector representatives working on land governance for equitable and sustainable development. We invite you all to join our conference, with the central theme “Governing land for the future – What (r)evolutions do we need?”
More than a decade into the ‘land grab’ debate it is time to ask ourselves some tough questions: What have our efforts to regulate land-based investments brought us? Where did we manage to make land governance work for equity and sustainability and where did we fail? From the outset some of us were more optimistic and others more pessimistic about the possibility to ensure fair outcomes. Today, however, most would agree that whatever successes have been achieved, these have not been able to change the overall pattern of dispossession, inequality and resource depletion. Have land governance interventions just been scratching the surface?
At the 13th LANDac Annual Conference, we need to discuss what it takes to address today’s and tomorrow’s land issues. Do we need further evolution of current approaches, or rather a revolution in land governance thinking? This is an urgent question. While the early wave of mega land deals seems to have waned, on the ground alienation and dispossession continue unabated, if in more diverse and stealthy ways. Pressures on land and other natural resources seem to be increasing, authoritarianism is omnipresent, and the violence against territorial defenders and human rights activists is increasingly worrying. As we review our efforts to address these issues the question arises: Should we tune the instruments at our disposal (“evolution”)? Or do we need a more radical re-think (“revolution”)?
Click here to go to the registration form
Last Updated: 13th April 2022 by Coordinator
Research publications: Ten Years After
We are happy to announce the first publications of our research project ‘Ten years after: A reality check on impact assessments of infrastructural projects’.
This project aims to establish how impact assessments can be made more accurate and to reflect on what we may and may not expect of this instrument. The project reflects, along with specialised agencies, on what might be done to close the gap between the real and projected impacts of investments in infrastructure. It is a collaboration between LANDac, SDC at Wageningen University and Royal HaskoningDHV.
The publication of this study focuses on exploring and identifying the key concerns and debates in the field of ESIA, and on identifying ways to improve ESIA, and enhance its potential to contribute to sustainable development and reduce negative social impacts.
A literature study was conducted to bring together what has been written concerning the effectiveness of ESIA and how well the instrument is working, and then interviews were held with 13 ESIA experts. This report presents the findings of this explorative study and identifies the main concerns and ways to improve ESIAs.
Additionally, a 2-pager has been created based on this report.
Click here to go to the publications
More publications will follow in the coming months, as field research is currently being conducted on this topic in different countries.
Cover photo: Dam under construction in Sri Lanka. © Lakshman Nadaraja/World Bank
Posted: 4th April 2022 by Coordinator
UPDATE – Call for Abstracts
Three new sessions have been added to the Call for Abstracts for the LANDac Conference 2022. The new sessions are:
(Consultation, participation, and how to make it real – open for abstracts)
(Protecting the land rights of the poor (Social/Political) – open for abstracts)
(Advocacy and shrinking civic space – open for abstracts)
The deadline to send in your abstract is 15th of April.
Important! Abstracts should be submitted by 15th of April, in English and using the Abstract Submission Form. Please submit your abstract directly to the contact person of your preferred session and with landacconference2022@gmail.com in CC. The session organisers and LANDac Organising Committee will review all submissions, please use the code of your session in communication. Notification on acceptance of abstracts will be done by 1 May, 2022. Some sessions will be hosted on location and others online. You can join all formats, as we will ensure hybrid interactions.
Click here for more information on the conference.
Posted: 24th March 2022 by Coordinator
CALL FOR ABSTRACTS – LANDac Conference 2022
We are now pleased to invite abstract submissions for the LANDac Annual International Conference 2022. This Call for Abstracts is open until April 15, 2022.
The LANDac Annual International Conference offers a podium for knowledge exchange between researchers, practitioners and private sector representatives working on land governance for equitable and sustainable development. Anticipating that restrictions for travel and large-scale events will still be in place, the LANDac Annual International Conference 2022 will be held in a hybrid format.
This year’s conference ‘Governing land for the future – what (r)evolutions do we need?’ focuses on the future of land governance.
More than a decade into the ‘land grab’ debate it is time to ask ourselves some tough questions: What have our efforts to regulate land-based investments brought us? Where did we manage to make land governance work for equity and sustainability and where did we fail? From the outset some of us were more optimistic and others more pessimistic about the possibility to ensure fair outcomes. Today, however, most would agree that whatever successes have been achieved, these have not been able to change the overall pattern of dispossession, inequality and resource depletion. Have land governance interventions just been scratching the surface?
At this year’s LANDac Annual Conference, we need to discuss what it takes to address today’s and tomorrow’s land issues. Do we need further evolution of current approaches, or rather a revolution in land governance thinking? This is an urgent question. While the early wave of mega land deals seems to have waned, on the ground alienation and dispossession continue unabated, if in more diverse and stealthy ways. Pressures on land and other natural resources seem to be increasing, authoritarianism is omnipresent, and the violence against territorial defenders and human rights activists is increasingly worrying. As we review our efforts to address these issues the question arises: Should we tune the instruments at our disposal (“evolution”)? Or do we need a more radical re-think (“revolution”)?
Posted: 23rd February 2022 by Coordinator
Job opportunity UU | Assistant Professor of Land and Trans-local Development
Assistant Professor of Land and Trans-local Development, Utrecht University (1.0 FTE)
Application deadline: 11 March, 2022
The Department of Human Geography and Spatial Planning at the Faculty of Geosciences of Utrecht University is interested in attracting an early career academic in the fields of international development studies, geography, migration studies and linked social science disciplines.
The candidate will join the International Development Studies group at the department. Embedded in the Urban Futures programme, IDS has specialised in understanding local development in a context of rapidly changing flows of capital and people. Looking at the world as an interconnected place, an important starting point for our approach is that rather than depending essentially on ‘local resources’, livelihood opportunities are to a large extent determined by trans local relations, development corridors and development chains; what occurs in one locality will to a large degree depend on what is occurring in other places or, more precisely, on how local agencies interact with external (e.g., global, regional) forces. Focusing on the crossroads of migration and investments flows, we analyse the consequences of new flows and circulations (of people, goods, capital and knowledge) for inclusive and sustainable development in Asia, Africa and Latin America, focusing on the implications for sustainable livelihoods and human wellbeing. Against this backdrop, we are looking for a new colleague who is familiar with and has an ambition to develop our research agenda in critical development geography, cultural/social anthropology, agrarian or urban studies, and related fields.
The position involves 60% teaching and 40% research time. Core tasks include:
Click here for more information and to apply
Posted: 23rd February 2022 by Coordinator
Land Tenure and Sustainable Agri-food Systems | GLTN publication
The aim of this paper is to consolidate lessons from existing evidence that demonstrates the role of equitable access and tenure security to land in achieving sustainable food systems transformation, and subsequently, for the overall achievement of the SDGs. It makes the case of the importance of reforming and securing access and tenure rights to land and natural resources. In doing so, it identifies key actions and recommendations concerning tenure security and access to land that can contribute to a broader policy agenda for improving food and nutrition security and agri-food systems transformation.
Click here for the full publication
Posted: 23rd February 2022 by Coordinator
Mekong Land Research Forum | Annual Country Reviews 2021-2022
The Annual Country Reviews 2021-22 has just been published by the Mekong Land Research Forum.
It can be found at: http://www.mekonglandforum.org/sites/default/files/Annual%20country%20reviews%202021-2.pdf
The Annual Country Reviews reflect upon current land relations in the Mekong Region, and has been produced for researchers, practitioners and policy advocates operating in the field. Specialists have been selected from Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam to briefly answer the following two questions:
Responses are not intended to be exhaustive, and they represent personalized images of the current situation in each country. They serve to inform and inspire discussion on land-related topics in the Mekong Region. This sixth edition of the Annual Country Reviews has been compiled at the end of 2021, looking forward into the new year. There is also a regional perspective drawing together country-based observations to look at land and agricultural investments through the Mekong region.
To take part in discussions on these and other related topics, join the Mekong Land Research Forum researcher network. To apply, please fill in the form found here
Last Updated: 11th February 2022 by Coordinator
Call for session deadline is extended!
We have extended the deadline for our Call for Sessions of the LANDac Conference 2022 until February 18!
We also have more information for you about the conference.
First of all, we are happy to announce two of the keynote speakers: Dr. Richard Sliuzas and Dr. Laura German. Both of them have been involved with LANDac over the years in different ways. Richard Sliuzas is Professor of Urban Planning for Disaster Risk Reduction at ITC University of Twente. Laura German is Professor of Anthropology and Director of the Center for Integrative Conservation Research at the University of Georgia.
Second, we will launch the Call for abstracts on the 7th of March and the deadline for submission is 26th of March.
Finally, the fee join the full conference on site is €200. If you would like to join us for a dinner, you pay an additional €25 as a contribution. For students and a limited number of other participants we are able to offer a reduced conference fee. Please contact us at landacconference2022@gmail.com if this applies to your situation.
The fee to join the conference online is €50.
Posted: 9th February 2022 by Coordinator
Gender in Mining Governance: An annotated bibliography for artisanal and small-scale mining (70 resources)
The global artisanal and small-scale mining (ASM) sector is estimated to comprise nearly 45 million people worldwide. These women and men produce significant amounts of the world’s minerals, from 20% of the world’s gold to nearly 80% of coloured gemstones. Both women and men play critical roles in the sector: women were estimated in 2003 to make up nearly 30% of the global ASM workforce, a figure that is much higher in some countries and contexts (e.g., artisanal salt mining in Uganda). Not only do they contribute directly to mineral production, but they are also heavily involved in the provision of services (e.g., mining inputs, mineral processing, etc.) to ASM communities. However, despite the important role they play, women are among the groups that face marginalization in the sector.
This annotated bibliography gives an overview of key resources on the topic of gender and ASM. Resources focus on research conducted in the past decade with the exception of those assessed by the authors to be critically important to understanding the issues around gender and ASM. The resources were selected following a wide-reaching review of the literature available on and around the topic. Resources were then assessed according to the criteria of adequate coverage of gender issues and usefulness for a policy-maker/practitioner audience, resulting in the shortlist selected for the bibliography. A total of 70 resources were selected for the final bibliography. These represent a wide range of resources, including academic papers, toolkits, policy documents, and civil society and consultancy reports, among others.
Click here to read more