The Inevitable Trend Toward Universally Recognized Signals of Property Claims: An Essay for Carol Rose
William & Mary Bill of Rights Journal, Vol. 19, March 2011
24 Pages Posted: 30 Oct 2010 Last revised: 5 Nov 2010
Date Written: October 28, 2010
Abstract
Carol Rose has identified the study of the communication of property claims as her central scholarly project. In this tribute to her distinguished career, I discuss whether a method of communicating a property claim - for example, the building of a fence around cultivated land - tends to be universal or to vary from one interpretative community to another. On account of increasing urbanization and long-distance travel, a property claimant in a given cultural setting must anticipate that some passersby will be total strangers. I contend that this reality prompts claimants to favor furnishing nonverbal visual cues, such as fences, that people of all backgrounds should be able to recognize.
Keywords: property, property claims, interpretative communities, sign language
JEL Classification: K11, Q15
Suggested Citation: Suggested Citation