Free, fair, and alive : the insurgent power of the commons / David Bollier, Silke Helfrich.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Bollier, David, author.

Helfrich, Silke, author.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Commons.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (455 pages)

Place of Publication:

Gabriola Island, BC, Canada : New Society Publishers, [2019]

Summary:

Presents a foundational re-thinking of the commons--the self-organized social system that humans have used for millennia to meet their needs. Bollier and Helfrich offer a vision of a future beyond the dead-end binary of capitalism versus socialism. The authors cover the internal dynamics of commoning, how the commoning worldview opens up new possibilities for change, the role of language in reorienting our perceptions and political strategies, and seeing the potential for commoning everywhere. They provide a non-academic synthesis of contemporary commons and present a narrative: that we can be free and creative people, govern ourselves through fair and accountable institutions, and experience the aliveness of authentic human presence. --Adapted from publisher description.

Contents:

Part one. The commons as a transformative perspective. Commons and commoning

(Commoning is everywhere, but widely misunderstood

What island is not a commons

Commons in real life: Zaatari Refugee Camp ; Buurtzorg Nederland ; WikiHouse ; Community Supported Agriculture ; Guifi.net

Understanding commons holistically in the wild)

The OntoShift to the commons

(The window through which we see the world

The OntoStory of the modern West

OntoStories as a hidden deep dimension of politics

The Nested-I and Ubuntu rationality: the relational ontology of the commons

Complexity science and commoning

Making an OntoShift to the commons)

Language and the creation of the commons

(Words, terms, and categories

The tenacity of systems of opinion: the harmony of illusions

Language and world-making

Frames, metaphors, and the terms of our cognition

Language evokes and sustains a worldview

Keywords from a fading era

Misleading binaries

How commoning moves beyond the open/closed binary

Glossary of commons-friendly terms).

Part two. The triad of commoning: Principles and patterns

A word of methodology. The social life of commoning

(Cultivate shared purpose & values

Ritualize togetherness

Contribute freely

Practice gently reciprocity

Trust situated knowing

Deepen communion with nature

Preserve relationships in addressing conflicts

Reflect on your peer governance)

Peer governance through commoning

(A few words about governance

Patterns of peer governance

Bring diversity into shared purpose

On the origins of peer governance

Create semi-permeable membranes

Honor transparency in a sphere of trust

Share knowledge generously

Assure consent in decision making

Sociocracy and consent-based decision making

Rely on heterarchy

Peer monitor & apply graduated sanctions

Relationalize property

- Keep commons & commerce distinct

Enclosures as a threat to commons

Finance commons provisioning)

Provisioning through commons

(Make & use together

Support care & decommodified work

Share the risks of provisioning

Contribute & share

Varieties of allocation in a commons

Pool, cap & divide up

Pool, cap & mutualize

Trade with price sovereignty

Cecosesola, or how to ignore the market

Use convivial tools

Rely on distributed structures

Creatively adapt & renew).

Part three. Growing the commonsverse. Rethinking property

(Me, my freedom, and my property

Property is relational

Collective property as a counterpoint to individual property?

Possession is distinct from property

Custom as vernacular law

Inalienability: a crucial concept for commoning

Rediscovering the power of res nullius

Property and the objectification of social relations)

(Decommodifying a supermarket

Why relationalize property?

A platform designed for collaboration: federated wiki

Neutralizing capital in the housing market: the Mietshäuser Syndikat story

Hacking property to help build commons

Platform cooperatives

Open source seeds

Commoning mushrooms: the Iriaiken philosophy

Building stronger commons through relationalized property

Re-introducing meaning making into modern law)

State power and commoning

("The state" and "the people"

Equal under law, unequal in reality

Some working notes on state power

Beyond reform or revolution

The power of commoning

Revamping state power to support commoning: Catalyze & propagate ; Establish commons at the macroscale ; Provide infrastructures for commoning ; Create new types of finance for the commons

Commons and subsidiarity

What about fundamental rights guaranteed by the state?)

Take commoning to scale

(Charters for commoning

Distributed ledgers as a platform for commoning

A brief explanation of hash and hashchain, blockchain, and holochain

Commons-public partnerships

Commoning at scale).

Appendices. Notes on the methodology used for identifying patterns of commoning

Visual grammar for the pattern illustrations

Commons and commoning tools mentioned in this book

Elinor Ostrom's eight design principles for successful commons and commoning tools.

Notes:

Description based on print version record.

ISBN:

1-55092-714-0