Paper short abstract:

Drawing from three cases of land conflicts related to land monopolizing (grabbing) by political elites, this article aims to understand the actors' game/behavior in the Burundi's land arena.

Paper long abstract:

Drawing from three cases of land conflicts related to land monopolizing (grabbing) by political elites, this article aims to understand the actors' game/behavior in the Burundi's land arena. The article illustrates the differences between formal theoretically applicable norms and the "real governance" in the settlement of land conflicts arising from the land grabbing phenomenon in Burundi, by emphasizing on three points. (1) This "real governance" creates and selects its norms within a plurality of normative frameworks. (2) If this process of norms selection is defined by the interests of powerful players, their application results from the way in which power relations are structured as the conflict progresses. (3) This game is not perceptible through public speeches. You must penetrate the unofficial sphere to be able to perceive it. Sorting out what happens in the hidden/unofficial sphere and the official sphere may also provide pathways / insights in how subordinate players could influence the course of events - agency