Doctoral Dissertation Research: Theorizing Rural Land Disputes

2008年金融危机爆发后，不断上涨的食品价格促使农业综合企业的主要参与者在全球南方国家投资土地。大规模的土地投资经常被吹捧为为当地社区提供资金、就业机会和更高的作物产量。然而，研究表明，这些投资往往伴随着强迫驱逐、生计丧失和粮食不安全。大规模土地投资、粮食安全与和平之间的联系仍然知之甚少。了解这种联系有可能为美国在食品安全和更广泛的安全概念密切相关的地区促进发展和政治稳定的努力提供信息。本项目通过考察苏丹北部大规模土地投资对当地的影响，有助于实现这种理解。沙特、埃及和阿联酋投资者最近在苏丹北部收购了大片土地，种植供出口的粮食。特别是，它探讨了这些土地交易在苏丹农业地区Gezira引发的社会变革。这项研究将由斯坦福大学人类学博士生Nisrin Elamin Abdelrahman在James Ferguson博士的指导下进行。通过对两个Gezira社区进行为期12个月的人种学研究，研究人员将仔细研究当地领导人在调解社区收回租给外国投资者的土地方面发挥的作用。她将观察法庭内外的纠纷调解。她还将参加小农和无地农业工人的日常活动，他们正在谈判最近土地所有权变化所带来的机会和损失。最后，她将追踪民间社会组织领导的一项运动的发展，该运动旨在建立全国对土地权利的认识。数据将通过参与观察、访谈、生活史、争议调解观察和档案研究来收集。研究结果可以为政策努力提供信息，以更好地解决大规模土地投资对当地人民生活的具体影响。通过强调如何动员地方领导防止土地冲突和扩大获得土地的机会，这项研究将有助于在更广泛的区域推进建设和平的研究和实践。资助这项研究也支持了研究生的培训。

In the wake of the 2008 financial crisis, rising food prices prompted key players in the agribusiness industry to invest in land across the Global South. Large-scale land investments are often touted for providing local communities with access to capital, employment opportunities, and higher crop yields. Research suggests, however, that these investments are often accompanied by forced evictions, loss of livelihoods, and food insecurity. The link between large-scale land investments, food security, and peace remains poorly understood. Understanding this link has the potential to inform U.S. efforts to promote development and political stability in regions where food security and broader notions of security are intimately tied. This project contributes toward such an understanding by examining the local impact of large-scale land investments in northern Sudan, where Saudi, Egyptian and Emirati investors have recently acquired large tracts of land to grow food for export. In particular, it explores the social transformations set in motion by these land deals in Sudan's agricultural Gezira region. The research will be carried out by Stanford University anthropology doctoral student, Nisrin Elamin Abdelrahman, under the supervision of Dr. James Ferguson. Through a 12-month ethnographic study in two Gezira communities, the researcher will closely examine the role local leaders play in mediating community efforts to reclaim access to lands leased to foreign investors. She will observe dispute mediations in and outside of court settings. She will also participate in the day-to-day activities of small farmers and landless agricultural workers who are negotiating the opportunities and losses produced by recent changes in land ownership. Finally, she will trace the development of a campaign led by civil society organizations aimed at building national awareness around land rights. Data will be collected using participant observation, interviews, life histories, dispute mediation observations, and archival research. The findings can inform policy efforts to better address the context-specific impact of large-scale land investments on local people's lives. By highlighting how local leadership is mobilized to prevent conflicts over land and to broaden access to it, this research will help advance both the study and practice of peace-building in the wider region. Funding this research also supports the training of a graduate student.