Date of Award
5-2018
Degree Type
Research Paper
Degree Name
Master of Arts in Community Development and Planning (CDP)
Department
International Development, Community and Environment
Chief Instructor
Denise Humphreys Bebbington, PhD
Second Reader
Ramon Borges-Mendez, PhD
Keywords
internal displacement, community development, El Salvador, land tenure
Abstract
Multiple episodes of dispossession and displacement characterize the lives of landless rural and semi-rural families across El Salvador. The residents of 30 de Abril, a semi-rural community in El Salvador formed from displaced families, engaged in a five-year struggle to force the government to make good on its promise of land to the rural poor. Now, with legal titles in hand, residents continue to work together to seek additional services and resources for their community, proving their resilience in the face of displacement. Based upon the experience of 30 de Abril, this paper explores the trajectory of one community‟s struggle for land and the importance residents attribute to land ownership in terms of physical security and economic opportunity. The paper argues that for displaced families, land ownership mobilizes mutual trust and cooperation resulting in increasing levels of social capital that can then be used toward addressing broader community development needs and priorities.
Recommended Citation
Welch, Corie, "United in the Struggle: The Role of Land Titles for Communities of Internally Displaced Persons in El Salvador" (2018). International Development, Community and Environment (IDCE). 215.
https://commons.clarku.edu/idce_masters_papers/215
Included in
Environmental Studies Commons, International and Area Studies Commons, Urban Studies and Planning Commons