The “Commons” library is a space and an invitation to rethink the Commons as an ontology, and to provide practical guidance for Commoning. The bookstore aims to offer an engaging and accessible introduction to help you become more familiar with the Commons. The idea behind this project is to “Tunisianize” the concept of the “Commons.” The Heinrich Böll Foundation Tunis offers an online learning platform that breaks down key terms, ideas, and practical examples related to the Commons, showcasing Tunisian practices sensitive to the Commons.
A key economic concept for sustainable development
The world we have inherited no longer works. It is enough that the future of the planet and civilisation as we know it is under threat. And yet, countless commons, experimental projects and committed social movements are opening up important avenues for the future.
We need to imagine new and better ways of being, doing and knowing. To do this, we must first recognise and move beyond narratives of capitalist progress and state power. Today, in the face of climate change, species extinction, economic inequality, authoritarian repression, racial and gender discrimination, among many other ills, we must confront the structural problems of the market/state system.
Capitalism has captured and corrupted our democratic processes. State bureaucracies and transnational markets are often unable to solve many problems. They are too big, too powerful and too remote. Too complex and legalistic. Too eager to transfer responsibility and risk. For too long we have relied on centralised, hierarchical and unaccountable institutions that disempower us.
Could we imagine a post-capitalist way forward?
The Heinrich Böll Foundation is part of the ecological, feminist, and social justice political movement, better known as the Green political movement, which has emerged well beyond the Federal Republic of Germany. We share the ideas of the German political party “Alliance 90/The Greens,” while maintaining organizational independence. We work with partners in over 60 countries and have a network of 34 offices worldwide. The Heinrich Böll Foundation is funded by the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) and the Federal Foreign Office (AA).
Among the principles and values that drive us, we aspire to uphold human dignity, we defend the right of future generations to a healthy environment, and we promote equal opportunities for all, regardless of gender, sexual orientation, ethnic, social origin, and religion. Our fundamental principles are essentially: sustainable development, democracy, and human rights. Furthermore, we adopt an approach that aims to develop close collaboration with various civil society organizations to enhance access and dynamic participation of different segments of society in both decision-making and social, cultural, and economic action.
Articles
Videos
| Title | Link |
| Good Copy Bad Copy | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WEKl5I_Q044 |
| RIP: A Remix Manifesto | http://ripremix.com/ |
| Life Inc. | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sOBWhVe68os |
| Empire St. Pauli | http://www.empire-stpauli.de/ |
| Reclaiming the City | http://www.berlinbiennale.de/blog/en/events/reclaiming-the-city-a-film-by-stefan-rusu |
| Water Makes Money | http://videos.arte.tv/de/videos/frankreich-rechtsstreit-um-den-dokumentarfilm-water-makes-money–7329868.html |
| “This Land is Our Land” | http://www.mediaed.org/cgi-bin/commerce.cgi?preadd=action&key=146 |
| The Fight to Reclaim the Commons” | http://boingboing.net/2008/06/30/documentary-about-cr.html |
| Short film about Creative Commons Business Models | http://blogs.magnatune.com/buckman/2008/06/short-film-abou.html |
| “How Does the Commons Work?” | youtube.com/watch?v=7bQiBcd7mBc |
| Short talks by Bollier and Helfrich | Short talks by Bollier and Helfrich. David Bollier and Silke Helfrich each made a series of 5-7 minute lectures in 2013 about different aspects of the commons for The Leuphana Digital School in Lüneberg, Germany. All thirteen videos can be found on YouTube by searching for “Bollier” or “Helfrich” and “Leuphana Digital School.” |
| IASC YouTube channel | youtube.com/user/IascCommons/videos |
| Ending the Tragedy of the Commons | youtube.com/watch?v=Qr5Q3VvpI7w |
| Mutiny! What Our Love of Pirates Tells Us About Renewing the Commons.” | youtube.com/watch?v=escnWFDUYhI |
| Environmental Education Media Project | eempc.org/category/more-films |
| The Promise of the Commons | youtube.com/watch?v=EJe19JoB8x8 |
| Liu presentation on large-scale ecosystem restoration | vimeo.com/31524262 |
| Caring for Commons | youtube.com/watch?v=Nvr_NMVd5XE |
| Cooperative Economics | ripess.org/jessica-gordon-nembhard-cooperative-economics-and-civil-rights/?lang=en |
| Interview with commons historian Peter Linebaugh | youtube.com/watch?v=nSF3m_Uav6Y |
| The Gleaners and I | en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Gleaners_and_I |
| Gift | An evocative 2018 film by Robin McKenna about various artistic and social gift economies. (Prime Video). |
| Hacking for the Commons | vimeo.com/ondemand/hackingforthecommons |
| Commons: Reclaiming What is Ours | vimeo.com/ondemand/commons |
Podcasts
| Title | Link |
| Frontiers of Commoning podcast | david-bollier.simplecast.com |
| Crazy Town | www.postcarbon.org/crazytown |
| Upstream | craftedrecordings.com/2016/06/22/podcast-episode-7-the-deeper-magic-of-the-commons |
| David Bollier 1/7 – The Role and Relevance of Negotiations in Commons – Leuphana Digital School | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rkvo8K8LFG8&t=68s&ab_channel=LeuphanaDigitalSchool |
| Economic Man vs. Humanity: a puppet rap battle | https://www.kateraworth.com/2018/09/05/economic-man-vs-humanity-a-puppet-rap-battle/ |
| International association for the Study of the Commons | https://iasc-commons.org/ |
| Commons in Action – Knowledge Commons | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H3N9Gb3bKzQ&list=PLAAFvhxfMjvd7yVqcQpW-mW38VfXNC0sM&ab_channel=IASCCOMMONS |
| Governing Knowlodge Commons | https://knowledge-commons.net/ |
| Commons in Action – Open Spaces Society’s story | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uoBXLPjNx34&list=PLAAFvhxfMjvd7yVqcQpW-mW38VfXNC0sM&index=7&ab_channel=IASCCOMMONS |