Property rights, land and territory in the European Overseas Empires

Abstract

The occupation of territories, the rule over land and the definition of property rights, were major concerns in the making and long-term development of the European overseas empires. They were also strongly interrelated with other key aspects of the empire-building process, including sovereignty claims, territorial expansion, settlement, taxation, power relations, social mobility, labour organisation, economic development, indigenous rights and the relationship between colonisers and colonised in its multiple dimensions. Although focusing mostly on the Portuguese empire, this book deals with other colonial settings too, covering a timespan that stretches from the 15th to the 21st century, thus including also some reflections on the post-colonial legacy of European imperial ventures around the world.