Land, Memory, Reconstruction, and Justice - 9780821419274

"An outstanding and timely collection, Land, Memory, Reconstruction, and Justice is the most comprehensive treatment of land restitution in South Africa. It brings together a wealth of thematic and case study material from across the country and provides a rounded view of the multiple meanings of land restitution in postapartheid South Africa."---Ben Cousins, Institute for Poverty, Land and Agrarian Studies (PLAAS), University of the Western Cape

"Written and edited by some of the leading scholars and activists on the land question in South Africa, this book is set to make an important and welcome contribution."---Lungisile Ntsebeza, University of Cape Town

Land is a significant and controversial topic in South Africa. Addressing the land claims of those dispossessed in the past has proved to be a demanding, multidimensional process. In many respects the land restitution program that was launched as part of the county's transition to democracy in 1994 has failed to meet expectations, with ordinary citizens, policymakers, and analysts questioning not only its progress but also its outcomes and parameters.

Land, Memory, Reconstruction, and Justice brings together a wealth of topical material and case studies by leading experts in the field who present a rich mix of perspectives from politics, sociology, geography, social anthropology, law, history, and agricultural economics. The collection addresses both the material and the symbolic dimensions of land claims, in rural and urban contexts, and explores the complex intersection of issues confronting the restitution program, from the promotion of livelihoods to questions of rights, identity, and transitional justice.