Examining sources of land tenure (in)security. A focus on authority relations, state politics, social dynamics and belonging

This article reviews the current state of literature on the notion of security of tenure of land. This examination is topical as tenure security has become a key objective for land policies and development interventions. While tenure security is widely defined by people's perceptions, land policies tend to address it through the registration and administration of land rights. The article argues that these practices ignore the complexity of the sources of tenure (in)security. Building on critical development literature of political ecology, social anthropology and political science, these sources are identified as stemming from the politics of land and linked to authority relations, state politics, social dynamics and belonging. The article concludes that their consideration enables us to contextualise perceptions of tenure security and to conceive practices for securing tenure.

Automated summary

This article reviews the literature on the notion of security of land tenure, pointing out that traditional land policies tend to overlook the complexity of sources of tenure security (in)security. By considering the politics of land and related factors such as authority relations, state politics, and social dynamics, the article argues that a more contextualized approach is needed to secure land tenure.