New Terra Nullius Narratives and the Gentrification of Africa's "Empty Lands"

Authors

  • Charles Geisler Cornell University

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.5195/jwsr.2012.484

Abstract

Extraterritorial ownership and control of sub-Saharan African land have a long and troubledhistory. This research investigates a much-studied practice?the recent enclosure of African landand resources?but asks a little-studied question: how are non-Africans reasserting terra nulliusnarratives of the past to justify the present transformation of African landscapes? The answersuggested here lies in a bulwark of de facto terra nullius claims couched in security needs of theglobal North and referenced to the low density of Africa?s rural population, its land and laborunder-utilization, the ambiguity of its land tenure and related low yields, and its ?arrested?civilization. De facto terra nullius is neither narrow in scope nor static in application. It isstirring again as a potent justificatory logic for north-south land relations.

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Published

2012-02-26

How to Cite

Geisler, C. (2012). New Terra Nullius Narratives and the Gentrification of Africa’s "Empty Lands". Journal of World-Systems Research, 18(1), 15–29. https://doi.org/10.5195/jwsr.2012.484

Issue

Volume 18, Issue 1, 2012

Section

Land Rights in the World-System

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