Land rights in peacebuilding discourse: domination and resistance in Timor-Leste's Ita Nia Rai program.

The development of land rights programs is deeply rooted in power relations. Using discourse analysis, this paper unpacks how Western logics (assumptions and conventions) regarding 'best practices' for property rights institutions and tenure security impact the design of peacebuilding programs. In 2...

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Published in:Australian Journal of International Affairs Vol. 75; no. 5; pp. 546 - 569
Main Authors: Mancino, Maxim, Bose, Srinjoy
Format: Article
Published: Taylor & Francis Ltd Oct2021
Subjects:
Online Access:View this record in EBSCOhost
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        10.1080/10357718.2021.1909533
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        atl: Land rights in peacebuilding discourse: domination and resistance in Timor-Leste's Ita Nia Rai program.
      aug:
        au:
          Mancino, Maxim
          Bose, Srinjoy
        affil:
          School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London, London, UK
          School of Social Sciences, University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia
      su:
        Property rights
        Peacebuilding
        United States. Agency for International Development
        Land reform
        Discourse analysis
        Self-efficacy
        Civil society
        Timor-Leste
      sug:
        subj:
          Timor-Leste
          Property rights
          Peacebuilding
          United States. Agency for International Development
          Land reform
          Discourse analysis
          Self-efficacy
          Civil society
      keyword:
        civil society
        discourse analysis
        indigenous knowledge
        land rights
        peacebuilding
      ab: The development of land rights programs is deeply rooted in power relations. Using discourse analysis, this paper unpacks how Western logics (assumptions and conventions) regarding 'best practices' for property rights institutions and tenure security impact the design of peacebuilding programs. In 2017, the Government of Timor-Leste passed a controversial Land Law Package. These laws were initially developed for a USAID land reform program. But local dynamics, actions, and interests were ignored. Examining civil society exclusion from decision-making infers a reluctance to acknowledge local voices and practices that threaten liberal peacebuilding interests. This paper is organised into two parts. In the first, we argue that peacebuilding 'best practices' reflect how dominant Western discourses create conceptual boundaries ('violent hierarchies') to restrict the recognition of indigenous ideas as legitimate. In the second, we examine Timorese civil society efforts to improve the land reform program through acts of resistance to bodies of authority. Overall, we illuminate how in Timor-Leste Western assumptions and conventions contributed to boundaries to local participation, which contradicts liberal narratives of empowerment and capacity-building.
      pubtype: Academic Journal
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    language: English
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      custom: Copyright of Australian Journal of International Affairs is the property of Taylor & Francis Ltd and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use.
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