Land Power
Who Has It, Who Doesn't, and How That Determines the Fate of Societies
1 of 2 copies available
For millennia, land has been a symbol of wealth and privilege. But the true power of land ownership is even greater than we might think. In Land Power, political scientist Michael Albertus shows that who owns the land determines whether a society will be equal or unequal, whether it will develop or decline, and whether it will safeguard or sacrifice its environment.
Modern history has been defined by land reallocation on a massive scale. From the 1500s on, European colonial powers and new nation-states shifted indigenous lands into the hands of settlers. The 1900s brought new waves of land appropriation, from Soviet and Maoist collectivization to initiatives turning large estates over to family farmers. The shuffle continues today as governments vie for power and prosperity by choosing who should get land. Drawing on a career's worth of original research and on-the-ground fieldwork, Albertus shows that choices about who owns the land have locked in poverty, sexism, racism, and climate crisis—and that what we do with the land today can change our collective fate.
Global in scope, Land Power argues that saving civilization must begin with the earth under our feet.
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Creators
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Publisher
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Release date
January 14, 2025 -
Formats
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OverDrive Listen audiobook
- ISBN: 9781668647950
- File size: 317347 KB
- Duration: 11:01:07
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Languages
- English
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Reviews
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December 1, 2024
A prolific progressive social commentator and author, Albertus (political science, Univ. of Chicago; Property Without Rights) argues that land is the fundamental source of economic, social, and political power. Over the past two centuries, what Albertus describes as the Great Reshuffle has dramatically changed ownership patterns of land worldwide. His interest is how land reform can affect economic growth, racism, gender disparities, equity for Indigenous peoples, and the environment. His scholarly research and on-the-ground examination of land use and land reform over the past 15 years (mainly in non-industrialized countries) leads Albertus to argue that redistributing acreage to the tillers of land, with accompanying clear titles and generous government assistance, can combat racism, correct gender disparities, and stimulate economic growth in a bottom-up process. He also makes the case that top-down philanthropic and governmental efforts to conserve land can help heal the environment, as it has in Chile and Spain. VERDICT Albertus, who advocates progressive values, has written a book that will be of interest to readers interested in how liberal goals can be achieved through land reform, as well as those interested in changes to land ownership in such places as South America, Australia, India, and Italy.--Mark Jones
Copyright 2024 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.
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Braden Wright provides a crisp, even narration of this thoroughly researched overview of land--specifically, who owns it and how that ownership fortifies power over time. Albertus's audiobook seeks to provide a comprehensive review of how "the great reshuffling"--a phenomenon through which land is acquired, repossessed, or stolen-- consistently results in various significant political, economic, and social justice outcomes. For example, deforestation in the Amazon basin in the name of progress has encouraged climate change. And Canadian women, once legally prohibited from owning land themselves, have been generationally disadvantaged. Wright provides a neutral delivery with absolutely no added embellishment or flair. Listeners get as close to the pure conveyance of a text that a performer can deliver. S.P.C. © AudioFile 2025, Portland, Maine
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