Contested Global Landscapes, an Institute for the Social Sciences theme project, ended this month after three years of collaborative study. But members of the interdisciplinary group will produce a new book series and jointly teach courses and summer institutes for graduate students.
“These were three years of pretty intense discovery,” said Wendy Wolford, project co-leader and professor of development sociology.
Co-led by Charles Geisler, also a professor of development sociology, the team focused on the changing nature of land in historical and contemporary moments by investigating relations among property, governance, economy and livelihood. The group brought scholars from across Cornell and other universities to participate in more than 50 events and workshops in 2012-15.
“As a collective of sorts, we have discussed the multiple meanings of land and territory for different groups; the construction of property through the legalization of norms and conventions; the formation of the state through negotiations over and on the land, in frontiers and along borders; the nature of ecosystems; and the role of water,” Wolford said.
“All of us have put our oars in new waters with regard to large land transfers and transformations, many of which displace and dispossess resident populations and communities across the globe,” said Geisler.
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