Power, community and land reform in Scotland Using a power analysis to look at what difference land reform is making in people ’ s lives Tim Braunholtz-Speight, PhD student, University of the Highlands and Islands Millennium Institute Competing narratives of land reform “ Independence Day ” on the Isle of Eigg vs “ Let the land grab begin ” on the Daily Mail front page (pictures from Land reform Scotland has seen a wave of “ community-based ” land reform in recent decades. Beginning in the Highlands with the Assynt Crofters ’ Trust in 1992, community land initiatives (CLIs) have increasingly gained control of land across the country, from the Western Isles (e.g. North Harris Trust) to the outskirts of Glasgow (e.g. Neilston Development Trust). Highly politicised debates rage over whether this is “ community empowerment ” or the subsidising of a grudgeful minority (see ‘ competing narratives ’ below). Research questions I want to examine the concept of “ community empowerment ” in the context of land reform to ask: in what sense(s) can “ the community ” be said to be empowered, if at all? within “ the community ”, how are the impacts of reform distributed, and (how) have individuals been empowered or disempowered? The power cube - an organising framework The “ power cube ” integrates several of my key concerns – power, locality, culture and institutions – in one framework. It is a visualisation of the interaction between different actors (community groups, public agencies, private bodies, individuals … ) at different spatial/institutional ‘ places ’ with different types of ‘ spaces ’ depending on terms of access for different actors and with varying forms of power at work. I hope to use it for: studying the ‘ new spaces ’ created through community land initiatives, and to contribute to a growing body of work adapting it for a UK context e.g. for the Carnegie “ Power Moves ” report. The cube was developed by John Gaventa and colleagues at the Institute for Development Studies – see more at Where am I at now? Selecting and confirming two cases for in- depth study Refining methodology with a pilot study Contact The power cube Cartoon by Clive Goddard Key concepts Power Very simply: what you can do! - but complex to analyse different relations with other people (power over, power with) and in yourself (power to, power within) different forms - the interplay of structure and agency – from overt visible power to hidden ‘ behind the scenes ’ power and the invisible power of structure and culture different domains of life (economic, social, cultural, political), wide range of resources may matter Community Based on place, interest, identity – or a mixture of these. Different ideas and practices of community have power implications – especially in political programmes such as land reform. Methods Comparative case study of two contrasting community land initiatives, using an inductive and evaluative approach to explore the impacts of land reform. Data collection will be primarily qualitative: in-depth interviews with wide range of actors at community and other levels ethnographic/observational techniques primarily at community level Coupled with some basic quantitative and secondary data analysis