Reading Room #20: What does it mean to own?

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In the framework of Emptor we invite you to a collective reading and discussion of excerpts from ‘La propriété de la terre’ by Sarah Vanuxem.

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17/02/2022, 16-18h
Meyboom Artist-run Spaces, Brussels

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‘What does it mean to own?’

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In her work Vanuxem proposes a reinterpretation of the legal notion of property, taking us beyond the division between things-objects and persons-subjects. This division, which is the backbone of our modern law, is perhaps not unrelated to the degradation of natural environments.

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Instead of seeking solutions in the attribution of a legal personality to nature, Vanuxem invites us to consider property as a ‘faculté d’habitation’ (possibility to dwell). An interpretation that focusses on aspects of care and interrelation rather than control and opens new insights on the importance and possibilities to mould the law according to our current situation.

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Text in French. Discussions in English and French.
Copies will be provided.