“Abahlali baseMjondolo is a movement largely based in shantytowns built on land occupations in and around the South African city of Durban. Since 2005 it has sought to build popular counter-power through the construction of self-managed and democratically organized communities engaged in a collective struggle. While the movement has not used the term ‘commune’, it… Continue reading
“The package system was not designed to manage software. It was designed to facilitate collaboration” Ian Murdock (1973-2015)
Continue readingRegular readers of this blog will have noticed my admiration and fascination with Kojin Karatani‘s Structure of World History. This does not mean I agree with everything he proposes of course. From 2000 to 2003, Karatani attempted to create a ‘constructionist’ movement, not unlike what the P2P Foundation is attempting to do. But I think… Continue reading
“While many of us are working to ensure that the Occupy movement will have a lasting impact, it’s worthwhile to consider other countries where masses of people succeeded in nonviolently bringing about a high degree of democracy and economic justice. Sweden and Norway, for example, both experienced a major power shift in the 1930s after… Continue reading
Excerpted from David Bollier: “The “right to the city” asserted by commoners is essentially a human right – a moral and political claim of access to resources that are essential to life, and to a right to participate in their use and management. So it is worth situating this entire struggle in the context of… Continue reading
A very short presentation of two intriguing UK-based movements: 1. Radical Routes is “a network of radical co-ops whose members are committed to working for positive social change. The network is made up mainly of housing co-ops of various sizes (none with more than 17 members), a few workers co-ops and a couple of social… Continue reading
Description The digital age is seeing an informal convergence within the scholarly communication space: the Natural and Health Sciences, the Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences, applied and professional fields are all discovering that they have more in common when it comes to the future of research communication than differences. What is needed now is a… Continue reading
This is a very passionate lecture by Douglas Rushkoff, warning us not to blindly follow the digital models proposed to us by Silicon Valley, especially as it concerns democracy: From the notes to the You Tube Video Douglas Rushkoff is the author of “Throwing Rocks at the Google Bus.” In his Personal Democracy Forum… Continue reading
“This insight can help us imagine and build a new “ecolegal order” that has three strategic objectives, they argue: to disconnect law from power and violence (by reconfiguring the nation-state’s authority); to make communities sovereign (by empowering commons); and to make ownership generative (by integrating property rights with stewardship responsibilities). An eco-friendly legal order would… Continue reading
The Synergia Institute is excited to be launching its first face-to-face training program this September in Tuscany. For change makers everywhere this program offers an opportunity to explore real pathways to system change with leading experts in their fields. When and Where Full title: Transition to Co-operative Commonwealth: Pathways to a new political economy When:… Continue reading
“SENSORICA is not a corporation, it is not a coop, it is not an non profit, it is not an LLP. It is an open value network. From a legal perspective, it is a non-registered association. It is an open network of freelancers that coordinate and co-manage their work using some IT tools (the NRP-VAS)… Continue reading
“We actually want automation. It’s not that automation is going to happen and we’re worried about it – we’re advocation for automation” This is the second in a series of podcasts from New Economics Foundation on what they dub the Economics of the Future. It features Nick Srnicek and Alex Williams talking about their latest… Continue reading
Excerpted from Rebecca Harvey: “The network plans to support, educate and trade with each other to create a different kind of work, “where young entrepreneurs’ voices are valued, profits and opportunities are distributed fairly, and there is care about the impact on people and the environment”. “As well as access to support, skill sharing, funding… Continue reading
* Essay: Ina Praetorius. The Care-Centered Economy: Rediscovering what has been taken for granted. David Bollier is very enthused about this essay: “I recently encountered a brilliant new essay by German writer Ina Praetorius that revisits the feminist theme of “care work,” re-casting it onto a much larger philosophical canvas. “The Care-Centered Economy: Rediscovering what… Continue reading
Amidst all of the buzz about the hacking of the DAO and the consequences for Ethereum, everyone seems to be missing the most crucial point of all. The Ethereum Foundation stated quickly on its website that they identifed and effectively froze the hacker’s account. Also, Stephan Tual (the founder of Slock.It, the group that created… Continue reading
Recent events in Brazil have been framed as something of a morality play by both sides. For partisans of Dilma Rousseff and the Workers Party, her impeachment and the installation of Michel Temer as acting President was a neoliberal coup by corporate and landed interests in Brazil, backed by Washington. For those supporting her impeachment,… Continue reading