Vocabulary of Commons
Vocabulary of commons is a socio-linguistic enquiry into the legal and livelihood consequences the term ‘commons’—a search for a vocabulary that reflects a commons approach to a life with dignity in harmony with Gaia and communitarian aspirations. It is to strengthen community articulation and make their voices heard in the ongoing efforts of dialogue between communities, academics, practitioners and decision makers. It was coordinated by OpenSpace (openSpace.org.in).
First (print, pdf) edition January 2011. Slightly reorganised, with small changes to article titles and headings, for republication here by the P2PF, 2017.
Original Publisher:
Foundation for Ecological Security
PB No. 29, Anand, Gujarat, INDIA–388001
p: +91 (2692) 261239; f: +91 (2692) 262087
e: [email protected] w: fes.org.in
CONTENTS
1. | Perspective | |
11 | Towards a Vocabulary of Commons | Anita Cheria and Edwin |
12 | Primitive Accumulation of Capital and De–Commoning | Ritajyothi Bandyopadhyay |
2. | Natural commons | |
21 | Commons To Capital | S Bosu Mallick |
22 | Commons, Communities and State Appropriation | Ashok Chowdhury, Roma |
23 | Common Resources and Community Management | Walter Fernandes, Gita Bharali and Melvil Pereira |
24 | Rural commons: A source of livelihood and sustainability | Prafulla Samantara |
25 | Water as Commons | C R Neelakandan |
26 | Coastal Commons | Gomathy Balasubramanian |
3. | People and commons | |
31 | Women and commons: Engaging with gender justice | Anungla Aier |
32 | Children and the right to commons | Enakshi Ganguly Thukral |
33 | Dalits and the commons | Yashoda |
34 | Transgender and Commons | Anita Cheria and Edwin |
35 | Worker or fisher? | K P Sasi |
4. | Urban commons | |
41 | Streets as commons: What’s happening to our streets? | Vinay Sreenivasa |
42 | Property in Urban Commons: Contested spaces and embedded claims | Bhuvaneswari Raman |
43 | Some Thoughts on the De–Commoning of Bengaluru | Solomon Benjamin |
44 | Water for Commons: Disparity in Chennai | Geeta Lakshmi |
5. | Social commons | |
51 | Resisting erosion: Dissent and the Commons | Kinjal Sampat and Deepak Srinivasan |
52 | Vocabulary of Humanitarian Commons | Mihir R Bhatt |
53 | Social Exclusion and Commons | Sukhadeo Thorat and Nidhi Sadana Sabharwal |
54 | Public infrastructure: Building socially inclusive commons | Anita Cheria and Edwin |
55 | Health, Nutrition and the Commons | Mira Shiva |
6. | Knowledge commons | |
61 | The Agro–Biodiversity Commons | Suman Sahai |
62 | Knowledge and Science as Commons | Prabir Purkayasthsa |
63 | The Commons and IT: A paradigm shift in knowledge creation | Venkatesh Hariharan |
7. | The spiritual and sacred commons | |
71 | The Sacred Commons | Anita Cheria and Hrangthan Chhungi |
72 | Cosmosity: Dalits and the Spirituality of the Commons | MC Raj |
8. | Summing up | |
81 | Challenges of Modernity and Commons | Anita Cheria and Edwin |
82 | Let's Talk Commons | Anita Cheria and Edwin |
General licensing
The original book is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 license.
Disclaimer: The views expressed in this document are solely that of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of FES.
This book is not for sale. Suggested contribution Rs 450; USD 45; Euro 35
Foundation for Ecological Security (FES)
Registered under the Societies Registration Act XXI 1860, the Foundation for Ecological Security was set up in 2001 to reinforce the massive and critical task of ecological restoration in the country. The crux of our efforts lie in locating forests and other natural resources within the prevailing economic, social and ecological dynamics in rural landscapes and in intertwining principles of conservation and local self governance for the protection of the natural surroundings and improvement in the living conditions of the poor. By working on systemic issues that can bring about a multiplier change, we strive for a future where the local communities determine and move towards desirable land-use that is based on principles of conservation and social justice.
Initiative on Commons
The Initiative on Commons, currently anchored by FES, aims to bring together practitioners, policy makers and academia, working on various domains of commons— physical commons such as such as forests, grazing resources, protected areas, water, fisheries, coasts, lagoons, irrigation systems as well as ‘new commons’ such as knowledge, digital and cultural commons, genetic resources, patents, climate, etc. It is an evolving platform to advance understanding, research and advocacy on the commons. The initiative ultimately aims to influence public perception, policy environment and programmatic action in favour of the commons.
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