Vernacularisation from above: finance’s appropriation of human rights in land governance

Abstract

ABSTRACT The 2007/2008 triple crisis (finance, food and environment) prompted a new wave of land grabbing characterised by its financial dimension. In response, land governance initiatives have been implemented to regulate the social and environmental impacts of large-scale land investments. These initiatives use a human rights framework, but they remain disputed. In addition, they narrow down the relationship between finance and human rights to a subsidiary responsibility, suggesting that finance only influences human rights indirectly. In contrast, we put forward the concept of ‘vernacularisation from above’ to show that financial actors directly appropriate human rights in order to better serve their interests. By focusing on three land governance initiatives, we discuss how they tackle the issue of land access. We argue that financial actors impose a definition of land access in terms of land rights instead of recognizing the human right to land. Such a definition does not challenge unequal power relations related to land grabbing.