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Cited by 913Agriculture, Land Use, Rural DevelopmentLand Rights and ReformsAfrican studies and sociopolitical issues

The new enclosures: critical perspectives on corporate land deals

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White, Ben, Borras Jr., Saturnino M., Hall, Ruth, Scoones, Ian, Wolford, Wendy·2012·The Journal of Peasant Studies
DOI 10.1080/03066150.2012.691879
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Abstract

The contributions to this collection use the tools of agrarian political economy to explore the rapid growth and complex dynamics of large-scale land deals in recent years, with a special focus on the implications of big land deals for property and labour regimes, labour processes and structures of accumulation. The first part of this introductory essay examines the implications of this agrarian political economy perspective. First we explore the continuities and contrasts between historical and contemporary land grabs, before examining the core underlying debate around large- versus small-scale farming futures. Next, we unpack the diverse contexts and causes of land grabbing today, highlighting six overlapping mechanisms. The following section turns to assessing the crisis narratives that frame the justifications for land deals, and the flaws in the argument around there being excess, empty or idle land available. Next the paper turns to an examination of the impacts of land deals, and the processes of inclusion and exclusion at play, before looking at patterns of resistance and constructions of alternatives. The final section introduces the papers in the collection.

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  • There has been a renewed emphasis on land grabbing and land control emerging alongside or intertwined with EDCs.

    “Emerging alongside, or even intertwined, with EDCs has been a renewed emphasis on land grabbing and land control (Peluso & Lund 2011; White et al. 2012).”

    From The political ecologies of "green" extractivism(s): An introduction (2024) · cites this paper as White et al. 2012

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  92. Wendy Wolford is Polson Professor of Development Sociology at Cornell University, USA. Her research interests include the political economy of development, social movements, land distribution and agrarian societies. She is a member of the editorial collective of the Journal of Peasant Studies. Email:www43@cornell.

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Authors
White, B., Borras Jr., S. M., Hall, R., Scoones, I., & Wolford, W.
ORCID
Venue
The Journal of Peasant Studies
Publisher
Informa UK Limited
Published
2012-05-28
Volume
39
Issue
3-4
Pages
619-647
ISSN
  • 0306-6150 (ISSN-L)
  • 1743-9361
DOI
10.1080/03066150.2012.691879
OpenAlex
W2003159311
Cited by
913
References
3
Citations by year
2026: 23 · 2025: 43 · 2024: 30 · 2023: 68 · 2022: 62 · 2021: 119 · 2020: 57 · 2019: 70 · 2018: 80 · 2017: 75 · 2016: 76 · 2015: 94 · 2014: 56 · 2013: 40 · 2012: 10
FWCI
214.36
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Locations
  • The Journal of Peasant Studies (publishedVersion)
  • EUR Research Repository (Erasmus University Rotterdam) (publishedVersion)
  • EUR Research Repository (Erasmus University Rotterdam) (submittedVersion)
  • Figshare (submittedVersion, cc-by)
  • OpenDocs (Institute of Development Studies) (submittedVersion)
Funders
Economic and Social Research Council (ES/I021620/1, ES/J01754X/1)
Topics
  • Life Sciences › Agricultural and Biological Sciences › General Agricultural and Biological Sciences › Agriculture, Land Use, Rural Development
  • Life Sciences › Agricultural and Biological Sciences › Soil Science › Land Rights and Reforms
  • Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › African studies and sociopolitical issues
Keywords
large-scale land deals, land grabbing, political economy of agriculture, corporate land acquisition, property regimes, labor regimes, labor process, smallholder farming, land scarcity, inclusion and exclusion

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