Land use, traditionalism and rights

This article discusses the concept of ‘tradition’ with reference to land use and indigenous rights. The main focus is epistemological and connected to questions on the emerging of the concept. It is argued that the concept and its content is linked to the concept of and growth in theories of ‘modernity’. Indirectly it is this theoretical link that constitutes much of the understanding of ‘traditional’ use. This implies that ‘tradition’ just as much reflects an idea of the past instead of the past seen as a reality. ‘Tradition’ as a polarization of ‘modernity’, however, leads to certain limitations on how ‘tradition’ is to be defined. One of these is that ‘traditional’ ways are vested in rather static ways of acting. In a situation where indigenous land rights are quested all over the world, with regard to descriptions and definitions, it is urgent that a more critical thinking on the concept of ‘tradition’ is introduced, making us able to grasp its inherent dynamics.