Land rush

Studies and debates on the issue of land grabs have generated
multiple terms and concepts that are used loosely and
interchangeably, such as large-scale land acquisitions, land grab,
land deals, land enclosure, and land rush, among others.
Explanations and critiques of such terms have built and enriched
our knowledge. Yet, there is one term that has been underexplored:
land rush. Here, we offer our own definition of a ‘land
rush’, which has a different meaning from the other commonly
used terms. These differences have important theoretical,
methodological and political extensions and implications.
Applying the lens of ‘land rush’ requires us to adjust our focus,
and shows that the literature and public debates have focused on
‘concluded, operational land acquisitions’; they have tended to be
dismissive of ‘failed land deals’, blind to ‘pin prick’ types of land
accumulation, and have rarely taken the ‘land rush’ itself as the
unit of inquiry and subject of public debate in any systematic
way. This has led to a fragmented knowledge. Using the concept
of the ‘land rush’ enables us to connect the issue of land grabs to
broader global social life more effectively. As such, it is a key
concept in Critical Agrarian Studies.