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Publications

Stock Paul, , , , Chatzimichali Anna, Spence Charles

Space and Culture, pp. 1-14 (2025)

, Anderson Heather, , Gardner Darran, , Orr Jonathan, Owens Steven,

(2025)

Journal of International Wildlife Law & Policy Vol 27, pp. 436-444 (2024)

UK Earth Law Judgments Reimagining Law for People and Planet (2024) (2024)

, Gilbert Jeremie, Cobei Cindy

Research Handbook on Property Law and Theory (2024) (2024)

Kothamasi David, , Deepika Sharma

Nature Biotechnology Vol 41, pp. 1381–1384 (2023)

Professional Activities

Participant

15/9/2023

Speaker

6/2/2023

Host

6/2019

Speaker

25/7/2018

Speaker

27/5/2018

Speaker

10/5/2018

Projects

Vermeylen, Saskia (Principal Investigator)

01-Jan-2022 - 01-Jan-2023

Vermeylen, Saskia (Principal Investigator)

EXTR-Actvism presents artistic positions that challenge the new commercial space race for mineral extractivism. International space law - a product of the Cold War era - is ambiguous in its language as it is unclear if commercial mining, governed through private property rights, is allowed under the Outer Space Treaty (1967). The artworks selected for this exhibition explore the notions of extractivism and neo-colonialism of the commercial space era against the background of African countries developing their own space programme.

The exhibition retells the story of extractivism and space travel from the perspective of Afronauts. The forgotten histories, contested legacies and repressed memories of space travel are explored through a plethora of art practices that seek to blur the boundaries and distinctions between fiction and reality.

01-Jan-2021 - 31-Jan-2021

Vermeylen, Saskia (Principal Investigator)

11-Jan-2020 - 11-Jan-2021

Vermeylen, Saskia (Principal Investigator)

01-Jan-2020 - 30-Jan-2022

Vermeylen, Saskia (Principal Investigator)

This research addresses the San’s human right to access land and develop inclusive economic activities through tourism in Hwange national park in Zimbabwe. The project focuses specifically on recording and using cultural heritage as evidence of ancestral settlement and inclusive economic development in the national parks. The San have been exposed to land evictions dating back 2000 years ago when agriculturalists displaced them. Dispossession continued in the colonial period when their lands were appropriated to create national parks and private farms for colonial administrators. Unfortunately, evictions still exist after independence when new economic developments are being pursued such as tourism and mining.This research addresses the San’s human right to access land and develop inclusive economic activities through tourism in two national parks: Hwange in Zimbabwe and Chobe in Botswana. The project focuses specifically on recording and using cultural heritage as evidence of ancestral settlement and inclusive economic development in the national parks. The San have been exposed to land evictions dating back 2000 years ago when agriculturalists displaced them. Dispossession continued in the colonial period when their lands were appropriated to create national parks and private farms for colonial administrators. Unfortunately, evictions still exist after independence when new economic developments are being pursued such as tourism and mining. Combining law, archaeology and tourism, this project seeks to document the San’s cultural heritage in the national parks as evidence to support land claims and inclusive tourism.

01-Jan-2019 - 31-Jan-2020

Vermeylen, Saskia (Principal Investigator)

Cultural tourism has been highlighted as one of the most important development opportunities for Africa. A recent World Bank Report stated that the rich intangible cultural heritage of Sub-Saharan Africa presents a substantial opportunity for tourism growth. Increasingly, cultural tourism can be used as a pathway for poverty alleviation, inclusive growth and place-based socio-economic development. Sustainable cultural tourism has the scope to reach the most marginalized communities who often live in remote rural areas where apart from tourism no other substantial opportunities exist for developing an inclusive business growth model. However, the opportunities that cultural tourism may offer are currently underexplored, because priority was given to developing wildlife tourism and a lack of understanding of the significance and economic potential of cultural heritage. Cultural heritage management has been mainly a by-product of colonialism, and the colonial scientific approach towards cultural heritage management continued after de-colonisation resulting in the alienation of local communities from their own cultural heritage. For local communities to benefit from the nexus tourism-development, changes need to be made in the regulation and management of cultural heritage. This project will contribute directly to this process by investigating how an intimate understanding of traditional custodianship can contribute to more sustainable, effective and inclusive cultural heritage management practices. This will require the adoption of a legal framework that is based on legal pluralism. A combination of local, national and international cultural heritage management laws and regulations can provide a robust, inclusive and just legal framework as part of an increasing role culture can play in the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals, specifically in the areas: of access to land and natural resources (SDGs 1, 2, 6, 8, 15) and recognition of human rights of indigenous peoples (SDGs 1, 4, 8, 10 and 16).

01-Jan-2019 - 31-Jan-2019