How Does Legal Culture Matter for Climate Mobilities?:A Case Study in an Unplanned Coastal Settlement in Urban Mozambique

This article responds to the neglect of legal culture in the study of climate mobilities. It presents a study of legal culture in an unplanned settlement in Maputo, exploring how it enabled residents' mobility decision-making. Our study reveals a nuanced 'ecosystem' of land laws in Mozambique, comprising two official systems—formal and informal. Despite their contradictory substantive content regarding land rights, these systems functioned symbiotically, allowing residents to mitigate the effects of climate risks. We argue that this 'ecosystem' of land laws can only fully be understood within the broader context of Mozambique’s political economy. Future research into the significance of legal culture for climate mobilities must not only be attuned to the plurality of legal orders in play, but also consider the scales and temporalities through which they operate. Furthermore, they must also interrogate the interplay between law and broader political, economic, and social contexts.