To stake out the claim of / to something
Hi!

In my dictionary, I have the expression "to stake out the claim to something", but in this example, there is a "to" in it. Is there any differece in meaning between using "to" or "of"?

Example:

Its aggressive, if not polemical introduction staked out the claims of the New Economic History.

Thank you!

Question

To stake out the claim of / to something
Hi!

In my dictionary, I have the expression "to stake out the claim to something", but in this example, there is a "to" in it. Is there any differece in meaning between using "to" or "of"?

Example:

Its aggressive, if not polemical introduction staked out the claims of the New Economic History.

Thank you!

Answer

In the example sentence, the word "of" indicates ownership. The sentence does not contain a direct object; otherwise, the word "to" would also need to be included. For example, "its aggressive, if not polemical, introduction staked out the claims of the New Economic History to its place in academia."