From October 3rd to 4th, 2024, the IberLAND project, in collaboration with the Law Department of the University of Messina, hosted the international conference “Rethinking Property: Decentralized Histories of Land Tenure (16th – 19th centuries).” Held at the Faculty of Law in Messina, Sicily, the event brought together scholars from the IberLAND project and colleagues from different universities in Italy to explore the evolution of land tenure and property concepts during the Iberian imperial expansion.
The conference focused on the interaction between European legal categories and local practices and customs related to access to land and natural resources. By analyzing case studies from the Iberian world and Italy, the event underscored the importance of understanding land tenure through a decentralized lens. Rather than viewing the shift to private property as a linear process, participants emphasized the continued relevance of customary practices and local norms in shaping land ownership and access to nature well into the 19th century.
The IberLAND project looks forward to continuing its collaborative research on the diverse and decentralized histories of land tenure across the Iberian world.
