Abstract
The idea, and the ideal, of the commons has encountered a surge in popularity in recent years . But the concept itself is at risk of enclosure . While it has become a rallying cry for grassroots, anti-authoritarian, anti-capitalist revolt, today it is also being conscripted to the service of capital’s reproduction . This short essay explains how this is happening, then outlines a three-part method for imagining the commons in a more radical fashion: the actuality of the commons, the spirit of the commons, and the horizon of the commons. It does not provide a guide or a blueprint, but it does suggest a way to make some important distinctions at a very crucial time.
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Haiven, M. (2017). Commons as Actuality, Ethos, and Horizon. In: Means, A.J., Ford, D.R., Slater, G.B. (eds) Educational Commons in Theory and Practice. Palgrave Macmillan, New York. https://doi.org/10.1057/978-1-137-58641-4_2
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1057/978-1-137-58641-4_2
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