[p2p-research] [Commoning] Information sector: a qualitative different mode of production?

[j.martin.pedersen]

On 31/12/10 13:06, Michel Bauwens wrote:
> I'd like to add to Martin's point by referring to the best and likely most
> important book I have read this year, i.e.
> http://p2pfoundation.net/Civilizing_the_Economy by Marvin T. Brown,
> 
> it's a critique  of the property focus of current economics since adam
> smith, and it's replacement by a economics of provisioning in which labour,
> land and money are de-commodified,

This is also seemingly very close to the central argument in this essay:
http://commoning.wordpress.com/essay/

I don't think, however, the problem is property generally, but rather
the conflation of property generally (which could take almost any form,
collective, communal, personal) with property in particular, namely
capitalist democracy's exclusive private property form.

As such, I think the task at hand is to reanimate the language of
property so as to widen it conceptually in order to be able to organise
commons and commoning. See this call for contributions about that:

http://commoning.files.wordpress.com/2010/12/special-issue-the-commoner-stand-alone-call.pdf

Two Volume Special Issue of The Commoner:
 Property, Commoning and Commons


~~ Call for Contributions to Volume 2 ~~

Introduction.

In legal and philosophical terms the organisation of a commons is
encoded into property protocols, which structure its use, access and
decision-making rights and responsibilities. Property, then, is central
to debates about commons and commoning: how do commoners relate to each
other with regard to a given resource and how is a commons defined
vis-a-vis the rest of the world?

As discussed in Volume 1, property relations are not only exclusive,
private property rights as instantiated within capitalist democracy (a
particular conception of property). As a jurisprudential concept,
property can be used to understand, analyse, reflect upon and organise
social relations with regard to things in any context (the general
conception of property). The conflation of the general with the
particular conceals the historical and anthropological fact that
property can be and is understood (very) differently and hence
consolidates existing property regimes.

The purpose of this two volume Special Issue is to instigate further
debate about property, commoning and commons. The call for contributions
to the second volume continues on page two, following details about the
first volume.

Volume 1: Property, Commoning and the Politics of Free Software, Issue
14, Winter 2010.

The first volume features a three chapter essay derived from a PhD
thesis titled “Property, Commoning and the Politics of Free Software”
and was published in The Commoner as Issue 14, Winter 2010. In three
closely connected chapters - (i) 'Free Culture in Context: Property and
the Politics of Free Software' (ii)  'Properties of Property: A
Jurisprudential Analysis', (iii) 'Free Software as Property' – this
volume contextualises the political economy of Free Software (and Free
Culture) within a wider analysis of property relations through a
philosophical and political inquiry into the materiality of
immateriality from a commoners perspective within a framework of
intergenerational struggles for self-determination, autonomy and
community-led development.

See http://www.commoner.org.uk and http://commoning.wordpress.com for
further details.


Two Volume Special Issue of The Commoner:
 Property, Commoning and Commons


~~ Call for Contributions to Volume 2 ~~

For Volume 2 we are inviting two kinds of contributions.

On the one hand we are calling for stories about existing or emerging
commons. Are you involved in a community-supported agriculture project,
a Free Software project, a permaculture eco-village, a housing co-op or
any other form of commoning and would you like to share a max. 5-10
pages story about how your group came together and how your commons is
structured? We are looking here for practical insights into how social
relations with regard to things can be configured in ways that are not
dictated by capital. We are particularly interested in accounts that
illuminate how communities share, develop and use resources and land in
common. This will be helpful for other commoners by providing
inspiration – a form of skill-share. It offers a platform to publicise
your commoning project (of course anonymous stories are welcome for
obvious reasons) and maps the territory of social relations with regard
to things that are not defined by the measure of capital.

On the other hand, we are calling for academic pieces, theoretical
musings and also responses and critiques to Volume 1, which aims to come
to terms with property, commoning and commons in the context of Free
Software.

The central purpose of this two volume Special Issue is to enrich and
reanimate the language of property and explore the extent to which it is
useful for projects of commoning, however we also welcome arguments for
why property should not be applied to commons, in order to diversify the
debate and open up for all critical questions concerning property,
commoning and commons.

The deadline is – loosely as always - May First, 2011. Feel free to get
in touch if you have suggestions for contributions: m.pedersen -at-
lancaster.ac.uk