L-R: Frédéric Sultan, Anne Salmond, Tristan Copley-Smith, Soma KP and Monica Vasile
David Bollier and Silke Helfrich introduce Patterns of Commoning, a new compilation describing thriving Commons around the planet. For a brief overview, we also invite you to download (and share!) this short fact sheet.
Dear friend of the commons,
We are thrilled to announce the release of a new anthology of original essays, Patterns of Commoning, about dozens of lively, innovative commons that are pioneering exciting new forms of production, governance and ways of living.
The book, edited by David Bollier and Silke Helfrich of the Commons Strategies Group, is arguably the most accessible and far-ranging survey of contemporary commons in print.
It introduces readers to the commons, an ancient but rediscovered social system for creating and sharing wealth, beyond markets and the state. Patterns of Commoning examines successful, innovative commons around the world — from community forests in India to high-tech Fab Labs in Germany, and from alternative currencies that are reviving poor neighborhoods in Kenya to Swiss irrigation systems that have lasted for hundreds of years.
A central theme that emerges is how the inner dynamics of commons can transform how we think and act. Commoning gives us new aspirations and ways of being in the world, whether it is a theater commons in Rome or Farm Hack, the global network developing open source farm equipment. The social practices of commoning are opening up practical new possibilities for a post-capitalist future.
Patterns of Commoning was written by an illustrious group of activists, academics, journalists, technologies and project leaders from 20 countries. Contributors include such celebrated writers as Dame Anne Salmond of New Zealand, evolutionary biologist David Sloan Wilson, anthropologist Arturo Escobar and ecophilosopher Andreas Weber.
You can learn more about Patterns of Commoning at its website, http://www.patternsofcommoning.org.
You can learn more about the German edition, Die Welt der Commons Muster gemeinsamen Handelns,published by transcript Verlag, at http://band2.dieweltdercommons.de.
Copies of the 418-page softbound book can be purchased for US$15 plus shipping costs via Off the Commons Books — https://store.collectivecopies.com/store/show/0fc20 — and Amazon.com (US).
The book is the second book of a trilogy anthologies about the commons. The first volume was The Wealth of Commons, published in 2012. (The German version is Commons: Für eine neue Politik jenseits von Markt und Staat).
We hope you enjoy the book!
Best regards,
David Bollier & Silke Helfrich
Co-Editors
Patterns of Commoning