Territory and the Law of Ownership: From Misunderstanding to Opportunity

The chapter looks at the role of territory in conflict and ethnic studies. It argues that territory is usually framed in terms of ownership by one group. This being the origin of statehood (and imitated at subnational level), a major misunderstanding arises when it comes to the issue of "autonomy", which ends up being seen in a narrow (and conflictive) perspective rather than as an instrument for effective territorial governance.