Law and anthropology: the unhappy marriage?

Article

Young, Simon. 2014. "Law and anthropology: the unhappy marriage?" Property Law Review. 2014 (3), pp. 236-246.
Article Title

Law and anthropology: the unhappy marriage?

ERA Journal ID200076
Article CategoryArticle
Authors
AuthorYoung, Simon
Journal TitleProperty Law Review
Journal Citation2014 (3), pp. 236-246
Number of Pages11
Year2014
Place of PublicationSydney, Australia
ISSN1838-3858
Web Address (URL)http://www.thomsonreuters.com.au/property-law-review-online/productdetail/106238
Abstract

Law and anthropology have long been collaborators – intellectually, and more recently professionally. These disciplines had found each other by the late 1800s, and the ensuing conversation has been a productive one. The notion of ‘property’ is a key concern of both camps, and in this context the law has benefitted greatly from a maturing anthropological input. Perhaps the most important contribution of this collaboration is the path it helped to clear for meaningful recognition of Indigenous land rights. Yet in that context, as the Australian example particularly shows, the interdisciplinary partnership can be a troubled one. This article reviews the origins of the ‘law-anthropology’ collaboration and its ongoing relevance in the development of property law. It then turns to the workings of the collaboration in the important contemporary context of Aboriginal (or “native”) title, drawing from the Australian, North-American and New Zealand experiences.

Keywordsproperty law; anthropology; native title; aboriginal title
ANZSRC Field of Research 2020480604. Property law (excl. intellectual property law)
480505. Legal practice, lawyering and the legal profession
450599. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, society and community not elsewhere classified
Public Notes

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Byline AffiliationsSchool of Law and Justice
Institution of OriginUniversity of Southern Queensland
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