Perspectives on Commoning: Autonomist Principles and Practices

In the wake of socialism’s demise and liberalism’s loss of direction, new ideas are needed for the next major realignment of the social and political domain. Making a unique contribution to the idea of the commons, this book offers a radical new model for direct democracy. In contrast to current scholarship that has looked at the commons from the perspective of governance, this book instead focuses on the idea of commoning as social practice. Perspectives on Commoning argues that the commons are not just resources external to us, but are a function of what we do.
 
Covering everything from biopolitics to communication technologies, urban spaces to agricultural sovereignty, the contributors to this volume address the commons as both theory and history, providing a useful review of current conceptions as well as practical proposals for the future. A unique consolidation of political philosophy, sociology and economics, the book shows how a new understanding of the commons as practice will help to achieve its full emancipatory potential.