From Land Reform to Landfare: Land Claims and the Welfare State in Kerala, India

Document Type

Research Article

Abstract

While large-scale land reform may still be underway in many countries, other contexts have states responding to land claims through scattered land provision measures. This article puts forward “landfare” as a lens to capture such measures and unpacks its features in one location. The article first explains this term, outlining its location in and departure from the land reform scholarship. It next shows how Kerala, India, widely cited in the scholarship for its 20th century land reform, addresses the land claims of its Adivasi citizens in the 21st century through landfare. Through an exploration of Adivasi land claims and an examination of state responses in Kerala, the article argues that landfare can work through four key modes—obfuscation, withholding available land, projectisation, and welfare fix. Unlike the “land-to-the-tiller” goals of 20th century land reform, 21st century landfare can be aimed at extinguishing land struggles.

DOI

https://doi.org/10.1111/anti.13123

Publication Date

1-8-2025

Journal

Antipode: A Radical Journal of Geography

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