From Nonscalability to Cosmolocal Scalability
* Article: Another Scalability is Possible! From Nonscalability to Cosmolocal Scalability. By Vasilis Kostakis, Lucas Lemo., Asimina Kouvara. TripleC,
URL = https://triple-c.at/index.php/tripleC/article/download/1535/1612?inline=1
Abstract
"This article addresses Anna Tsing’s critique of capitalist scalability by introducing the concept of “cosmolocal scalability” as an alternative to approaches that prioritise “scale-at-all-costs.” Cosmolocal scalability challenges the idea of homogeneous, frictionless expansion and instead proposes a context-responsive framework that values biodiversity, as well as the diverse ways of knowing and living.
This framework enables local communities of practice to connect globally, fostering collaborative networks. Such connections are facilitated through digital tools and infrastructures that encourage the open exchange of knowledge, skills, and best practices as digital commons. By creating dynamic relationships between different scales – blending global connectivity with localised practices – cosmolocal initiatives nurture an ecosystem of adaptable, decentralised projects that aim to “scale wide” rather than “scale up.” While several challenges still need to be addressed, cosmolocal scalability presents a promising pathway for fostering new social relationships and modes of production, ultimately laying the groundwork for post-capitalist futures."
Excerpts
Nonscalability
Vasilis Kostakis, Lucas Lemo, and Asimina Kouvara:
"Anna Tsing’s theory of nonscalability serves as a powerful critique of capitalist ideas about progress and growth, shedding light on the consequences of scalability. In her seminal article “On Nonscalability” (2012), Tsing argues that the modern world has been shaped by scalability projects – initiatives aimed at expanding and replicating supposedly successful models without making necessary transformations. These projects, which range from plantation agriculture to industrial manufacturing, rely on standardisation and often lead to the erasure of diversity.
Tsing emphasises the importance of “meaningful” biological and cultural diversity, which can inhibit scalability by requiring projects to adapt to different contexts. In contrast, scalability projects strive to create controllable and frictionless environments for expansion, reducing the intricate complexity of our world to what Tsing calls “nonsoels” – nonsocial landscape elements treated as interchangeable units. Nonsoels are intentionally stripped of their social and ecological connections, designed to function as uniform, self-contained components within a scalable system. Examples of nonsoels include sugarcane clones on plantations, standardised labor units in factories, and even pixels in digital images. By creating these artificial and isolated units, scalability projects aim to eliminate the complexity of real-world interactions.
However, Tsing argues that this process of creating nonsoels is never truly complete, often overlooking or suppressing diversity and relationships that resist such simplification. Such scalability, she posits, is ultimately a seductive fantasy. In all its glorious messiness, diversity, and unpredictability, the real world resists frictionless scaling. Nonscalable elements – ecological, social, or economic – invariably disrupt attempts at seamless expansion. As Tsing puts it, “scalability is not an ordinary feature of nature. Making projects scalable takes a lot of work” (Tsing 2012, 505). This work, she reveals, often involves violence, exploitation, and the erasure of local complexities, painting a stark picture of the true cost of our relentless pursuit of growth.
Tsing’s insights provide a compelling explanation for why capitalist scale-at-all-costs models are fundamentally unsustainable (Pfotenhauer et al. 2022). The fixation on scalability damages ecosystems, creates precarity, and is incompatible with the heterogeneous, interdependent nature of life on Earth. Adaptations in living systems proliferate not through deliberate promotion, but because they enhance the survival and well-being of species and their communities. When these adaptations lose their usefulness and become maladaptive, they either fade away or are discarded (Loring 2023). Tsing illustrates this through various examples, including the contrast between sugarcane plantations (an icon of scalability) and matsutake mushrooms (which resist scalable production). She argues for a nonscalability theory that accounts for the complex, transformative relationships scalability projects often ignore or suppress.
Tsing’s work also challenges us to rethink our approach to knowledge itself. She points out that much of modern science demands scalability in its research frameworks, potentially obscuring the diversity pertaining to different ways of knowing and living. What seems scalable for scientific, technical, or economic reasons can differ greatly across regions, cultures, and legal boundaries (Pfotenhauer et al. 2022). By recognising the limitations and costs of scalability, we can develop more nuanced, context-sensitive approaches to understanding and interacting with our world.
Yet, as we stand on the precipice of mounting ecological and social crises, a question lingers: Could we reimagine scalability in more sustainable and inclusive ways? Is it possible to spread and replicate positive models without falling into the traps of capitalist scalability projects? This essay argues that an alternative form of scalability is indeed possible and already emerging – a concept we might call “cosmolocal scalability”, offering a glimmer of hope in an increasingly complex world."
(https://triple-c.at/index.php/tripleC/article/download/1535/1612?inline=1)
Cosmolocal Scalability
Vasilis Kostakis, Lucas Lemo, and Asimina Kouvara:
"Cosmolocal production offers a novel trajectory of scaling that diverges significantly from traditional capitalist models (Kostakis, Niaros and Giotitsas 2023). This approach emphasises diversity, local adaptation, and open knowledge sharing, contrasting with the rigid standardisation and control typical of conventional scaling methods. The concept of cosmolocal production has emerged alongside the proliferation of digital communication networks (Schismenos, Niaros and Lemos 2020). It describes methods of connecting local communities through networks of shared resources and knowledge, effectively redefining community in terms of place. This is achieved via infrastructures that facilitate sharing knowledge, techniques, and practices over open communication channels.
In practical terms, cosmolocalism enables the localisation of collaborative forms of production while sharing resources globally as digital commons. Several technology initiatives exemplify cosmolocal practices. These include Wind Empowerment (https://windempowerment.org/), developing open-source small-scale wind turbines; OpenBionics (https://openbionics.org/), creating open-source robotic and prosthetic devices; LibreSpace (https://libre.space/), building open-source nanosatellites and other space research equipment; RepRap (https://reprap.org/wiki/RepRap), which focuses on open-source 3D printers; and agricultural projects like L’Atelier Paysan (https://www.latelierpaysan.org/) and Farm Hack (https://farmhack.org/), which develop open-source tools for small-scale farming.
The collaboration and interconnection among initiatives like L’Atelier Paysan from France, Farm Hack from the USA, and Tzoumakers (https://www.tzoumakers.gr/) from Greece, along with other open-source agriculture projects, exemplify this new mode of cosmolocal scalability. Farm Hack’s and L’Atelier Paysan’s online platforms allow farmers to freely share tool designs and modifications, which other farmers then adapt to suit their specific contexts. These initiatives also facilitate workshops where farmers collaboratively prototype new tools, with designs then shared openly for others to build upon. This approach enables a form of distributed experimentation and innovation. Tzoumakers, a community-driven rural makerspace in mountainous Northwestern Greece (Epirus) in which two of the authors participate, demonstrates this dynamic in action. By connecting with initiatives like Farm Hack and L’Atelier Paysan, the Tzoumakers community accesses a wealth of open-source designs and practices. Rather than simply replicating these, the initiative adapts them to meet the unique needs of local small-scale farmers and other stakeholders while considering regional resources. The tools and methods developed are then fed back into the global commons, enriching the collective knowledge base.
This multidirectional flow of ideas and designs, facilitated by digital platforms but realised through local manufacturing and experimentation, enables these initiatives to “scale wide” or “scale out” rather than “scale up”. Besides, upscaling can lead to small initiatives losing their innovation potential (Druijff and Kaika 2021). These cosmolocal initiatives cultivate ecosystems of small-scale, locally-focused communities that are globally connected, nurturing the communal capabilities of individuals and groups, and contributing to the global digital commons. This approach embodies what Ezio Manzini (2015) calls “cosmopolitan localism” (or cosmolocalism), where local systems remain small and comprehensible to individuals and communities, yet are open to global flows of knowledge.
By leveraging the power of networks, these small-scale initiatives can operate effectively in complex, rapidly changing environments, fostering resilience and adaptability. Moreover, this scaling model promotes a new kind of production system where the global becomes a network of locals, as Manzini notes, enabling a harmonious balance between local autonomy and global interconnectedness.
What spreads through this network is not only technical knowledge, but also cultural practices and values. The ethos of open collaboration, autonomy, and ecological stewardship propagates alongside tool designs and manufacturing techniques. These values take root in new locales, creating fertile ground for other cosmolocal initiatives to emerge. This way of scaling represents a profound departure from capitalist scalability, which often erases local cultural practices in favour of homogenisation and profit-maximisation. Instead, cosmolocal scaling cultivates a diverse ecosystem of interconnected yet distinct initiatives; each adapted to its local context while benefiting from and contributing to a global commons."
(https://triple-c.at/index.php/tripleC/article/download/1535/1612?inline=1)
The Mid-Tech Approach for Scalable Production
Vasilis Kostakis, Lucas Lemo, and Asimina Kouvara:
"Cosmolocal production thus emerges as a vibrant thread, weaving together the seemingly disparate strands of global connectivity and local autonomy. This novel approach to manufacturing and design presents a compelling alternative to the monolithic structures of conventional industrial production. At its core, cosmolocal production is defined by at least four key features that set it apart from its industrial counterparts (Kostakis et al. 2018).
First, it embraces design-embedded sustainability, where products are often conceived not just for immediate use, but for longevity and adaptability. This attribute echoes the timeless wisdom of craftsmanship, where objects are created to last and evolve with their users. Second, it promotes on-demand local manufacturing, bringing production closer to the point of use and significantly reducing the ecological footprint associated with long-distance transportation. Third, it employs shared productive infrastructure, where digital and physical tools are communally managed resources, so productive infrastructure is optimised. This sharing extends beyond mere tools to encompass designs and technical information, fostering a culture of grassroots innovation (Troullaki and Rozakis 2024). Fourth, cosmolocal production allows for participant-defined value systems. For example, the members of L’Atelier Paysan decided that the cooperative model better reflects and encapsulates their values. Instead, the members of Farm Hack feel that a more autonomous model of organisation better fits them, which is why they have established a network organised around their web platforms and physical events that take place from time to time (Giotitsas 2019).
Cosmolocalism combines digital tools with local knowledge and traditional crafts in a “mid-tech” approach (Kostakis, Pazaitis and Liarokapis 2023). It leverages advanced digital design and knowledge sharing tools, while incorporating local expertise and simple techniques. The goal is to create accessible, adaptable, and repairable technologies, reducing reliance on global supply chains and prioritising longevity and ease of maintenance. Examples like a specific version of OpenBionics’ prosthetic limbs, which minimise the use of electronics and utilise the Internet and high-tech software for global design and distribution, as well as open-design agricultural tools from initiatives like L’Atelier Paysan, show how this approach can result in new, affordable solutions that integrate technological progress with ecological sustainability and social inclusion.
The mid-tech approach also challenges the idea that newer, more complex technologies are always superior. Instead, it encourages a critical examination of technological choices, considering factors such as energy efficiency, resource use, and social impact. This approach recognises that sometimes, simpler technologies or hybrid solutions that combine traditional methods with modern innovations can be more effective and sustainable.
This unique configuration allows for a balance that does not reject all technological progress, but rather seeks to harmonise it with local needs and knowledge. Cosmolocal projects thus help us reimagine scalability, moving away from the traditional capitalist model of ”scaling up” to embrace a concept of “scaling wide” or “scaling out”. This alternative trajectory of scalability embraces diversity and local adaptation while still facilitating replication and expansion. In cosmolocalism, ideas, practices, and innovations can spread widely without imposing a homogeneous template, offering a vision of post-capitalist scalability that respects and celebrates the rich tapestry of local contexts and cultures."
(https://triple-c.at/index.php/tripleC/article/download/1535/1612?inline=1)