Reversing the Gaze: Knowledge Stories and the Struggles for Community Land Rights in Scotland
Lead Research Organisation:
Royal Agricultural University
Department Name: Sch of Agriculture, Food and the Environ
Abstract
This research uniquely employs knowledge and experiences from the global South as a fresh lens through which we review the progressive nature of community land rights as a means for achieving sustainable development in Scotland and beyond. Our research views community land rights not only as a geographically-bounded concept but as a form of land ownership and practice that has often been perceived as 'backward' within a predominantly market-driven global political economy. The project aims to generate new and critical insights into the future of agriculture and sustainable land management in Scotland and the wider UK. The research will examine contested concepts such as 'sustainable development', the land-use outcomes of the 'just transition' and questions of inclusivity within Scottish land legislation and debates. To answer these questions, the project will involve participatory action research, in-depth interviews, photo-elicitation techniques, workshops, exhibitions, and dialogues to explore alternative ideas and knowledge within the struggles for community land rights. We aim to reveal the types of knowledge embedded in community land practices. For example, photographs will uncover knowledge about land use and ownership, including human functions, quality of life, and the nature of well-being within the struggles for community land rights in Scotland.
Additionally, as a novel approach to research on land reform in Scotland, we will rely on the methodological guidelines from the Popular University of Social Movements, which will involve the critical evaluation and valorisation of the wide range of knowledge and practices on community land. This process is empowering because it recognises the existence of many possible forms of knowledge that need to be made legible so that they can contribute to constructing a viable alternative to sustainable land use. Furthermore, our research approach considers community members as co-investigators and custodians of knowledge as they visualise and create self-reflective artefacts and records of their everyday realities and attachments to land. The study creates contexts and opportunities for mutual learning on questions about equitable access to and control over natural resources, including sustainable land use. The research will involve nine purposively-selected community land activists from Scotland, Tanzania, and South Africa to engage with and provide new insights into the knowledge generated from Scotland's land reform journey.
We believe synergies between Scotland's community land struggles and those in the global South can be established through a shared understanding of the potential importance of equitable and sustainable land-use practices. Arguably, Scotland's struggle for community land rights is analogous to struggles for land rights waged over many decades in countries like Tanzania and South Africa. In many cases, these contestations over land rights are informed by increased awareness of a rights-based push for land reforms, sustainability, climate change and environmental protection. Through these knowledge co-production processes, our project will aim to achieve the following: (i) To progress a critical understanding of the role of community land rights as a route to sustainable development and contribute to theoretical perspectives on progressive property rights; (ii) To support a community of practice working towards sustainable land rights and strengthen North-South research cooperation; (iii) To contribute to policy development on sustainable and inclusive land policies in Scotland, the UK, and broader international contexts, and finally, (iv) To raise public awareness of land reform and community land ownership as an alternative to private property ownership models through curated physical and online exhibitions.
Additionally, as a novel approach to research on land reform in Scotland, we will rely on the methodological guidelines from the Popular University of Social Movements, which will involve the critical evaluation and valorisation of the wide range of knowledge and practices on community land. This process is empowering because it recognises the existence of many possible forms of knowledge that need to be made legible so that they can contribute to constructing a viable alternative to sustainable land use. Furthermore, our research approach considers community members as co-investigators and custodians of knowledge as they visualise and create self-reflective artefacts and records of their everyday realities and attachments to land. The study creates contexts and opportunities for mutual learning on questions about equitable access to and control over natural resources, including sustainable land use. The research will involve nine purposively-selected community land activists from Scotland, Tanzania, and South Africa to engage with and provide new insights into the knowledge generated from Scotland's land reform journey.
We believe synergies between Scotland's community land struggles and those in the global South can be established through a shared understanding of the potential importance of equitable and sustainable land-use practices. Arguably, Scotland's struggle for community land rights is analogous to struggles for land rights waged over many decades in countries like Tanzania and South Africa. In many cases, these contestations over land rights are informed by increased awareness of a rights-based push for land reforms, sustainability, climate change and environmental protection. Through these knowledge co-production processes, our project will aim to achieve the following: (i) To progress a critical understanding of the role of community land rights as a route to sustainable development and contribute to theoretical perspectives on progressive property rights; (ii) To support a community of practice working towards sustainable land rights and strengthen North-South research cooperation; (iii) To contribute to policy development on sustainable and inclusive land policies in Scotland, the UK, and broader international contexts, and finally, (iv) To raise public awareness of land reform and community land ownership as an alternative to private property ownership models through curated physical and online exhibitions.