What are the most important obstacles for Commoning Beyond Growth ?

This note is part of the Commoning Beyond Growth Workshop, which took place in Nottingham from June 5 to 7, 2024.

Cette note s'inscrit dans le colloque le Commoning au-delà de la croissance, qui a eu lieu à Nottingham du 5 au 7 juin 2024.

💡 Une traduction de la note en français est disponible plus bas. 

What are the most important obstacles for Commoning Beyond Growth and how to overcome them?

Notes taken by Andreas Bieler

Importantly, commoning if often ‘learned’ by participating. And yet, we identified a set of different obstacles in this respect, often closely linked with and re-enforcing each other.

Four obstacles

First, there are material obstacles. In HE, for example, there are many interesting experiments around alternative universities, but they tend to depend on the free labour of academics beyond their normal day-to-day work.

Second, the psychological impact of constant fighting, constant resisting can take its toll. Many activists end up completely exhausted from the ongoing struggles.

Third, there are barriers to participating in commoning. Often, it is the educated with a certain level of financial security, who can engage. At the same time, in post-Soviet societies there is still a legacy of a different life together facilitating commoning.

Fourth, institutional constraints including neo-liberal restructuring and the capitalist growth logic make it difficult to expand commoning beyond small experiments.

Overall, the group felt that it might be ultimately capitalism as such, which blocks commoning. In other words, commoning may not be compatible with capitalism but provide a way beyond capitalism towards a post-capitalist future.

Discussion

Illustration by Marie-Soleil L'Allier