Land tenure in secondary cities: discourses, practices, and social representations

Building on empirical findings of former projects (spread over the years, from 2014 to 2023), the research project aims at conceiving land tenure otherwise, deviating from standard approaches by putting the articulation of interests and claims first; tracing how actors relate to each other and how they try to make their own claims heard and recognized by others. Studying land tenure as discursive formation means that one has to go beyond official documents and statements, highly powered rallies in conventional political arenas and look at the ordinary, sometimes openly visible at other times hidden performative side of how actors articulate their interests, how they try to persuade others that their claims to land are legitimate – even when they might not comply with state legislation.