Politics of indigeneity : land restitution in Burundi

Political reform in Burundi has sought to resolve the land question, using the law, itself a product of political violence, as a way to render justice to victims of the past. This paper shows how land ownership becomes central to belonging in the nation-state and how indigeneity and ethnicity are reasserted through land after violence. The paper is divided in three sections: the first traces the history and connections between land tenure, indigeneity, ethnicity, violence and the law. The second section looks at policy on land restitution, while the third frames the debate on land restitution policy in practice