Power of the Commons with David Bollier
Channel: HowlRound Theatre Commons
Date: 2019-10-01

HowlRound Theatre Commons, Center for Economic Democracy, Emerson College's MA in Media Design, and the Engagement Lab @ Emerson College presented the Power of the Commons with author David Bollier livestreaming on the global, commons-based peer-produced HowlRound TV network on Monday 30 September 2019.

Are you curious about economies of the future — ones that reshape social relationships and prioritize sustainability?

Join HowlRound Theatre Commons, Center for Economic Democracy, Emerson College's MA in Media Design, and the Engagement Lab @ Emerson College for a night of lively discussion on the power of the commons.

Commons scholar and activist David Bollier introduced the paradigm of the commons as a living social system for meeting needs, accenting its growing role in the arts and culture world. Working outside of markets and the state, commons are self-organized, participatory, fair-minded systems for managing shared wealth. They are widely used by software programmers and scholars, indigenous peoples and farmers, and countless others as ways to ensure fair, inclusive use of resources while protecting them over the long term.

These themes are especially pertinent to creative sectors today as markets increasingly privatize and commodify flows of culture, to the detriment of artistic freedom and innovation. Bollier's presentation draws upon his new book with coauthor Silke Helfrich, Free Fair and Alive: The Insurgent Power of the Commons.

David Bollier is Director of the Reinventing the Commons Program at the Schumacher Center for a New Economics. He is an independent scholar, activist, and author or editor of six books on the commons. He blogs at Bollier.org and lives in Amherst, MA.

More on Free, Fair, and Alive: The Insurgent Power of the Commons:

Bollier and Helfrich describe commoning as a free, fair system of provisioning and governance that can move us beyond capitalism, socialism and other -isms. A landmark book that explains the insurgent power of the commons!

Free, Fair, and Alive provides a fresh, non-academic synthesis of contemporary commons written for a popular, activist-minded audience. It presents a compelling narrative: that we can be free and creative people, govern ourselves through fair and accountable institutions, and experience the aliveness of authentic human presence.

About HowlRound TV
HowlRound TV is a global, commons-based peer produced, open access livestreaming and video archive project stewarded by the nonprofit HowlRound. HowlRound TV is a free and shared resource for live conversations and performances relevant to the world's performing arts and cultural fields. Its mission is to break geographic isolation, promote resource sharing, and to develop our knowledge commons collectively. Participate in a community of peer organizations revolutionizing the flow of information, knowledge, and access in our field by becoming a producer and co-producing with us. Learn more by going to our participate page. For any other queries, email tv@howlround.com, or call Vijay Mathew at +1 917.686.3185 Signal/WhatsApp. View the video archive of past events.