Michel Bauwens
Michel Bauwens (born 21 March 1958) is a Belgian theorist in the emerging field of peer-to-peer (P2P) collaboration, writer, and conference speaker on the subject of technology, culture and business innovation. Bauwens founded the P2P Foundation, a global organization of researchers working in open collaboration in the exploration of peer production, governance, and property. He has authored a number of essays, including his thesis "The Political Economy of Peer Production". Biography. Bauwens regularly lectures internationally on P2P theory, the resource commons and their potential for social change, taking a materialistic-conceptual approach. In the first semester  of 2014 Bauwens was research director with the FLOK Society (Free Libre Open Knowledge) at the National Institute of Advanced Studies of Ecuador (IAEN). The FLOK Society developed a first of its kind Commons Transition Plan for the Ecuadorian government. Over fifteen policy papers the plan outlines policy proposals for transitioning Ecuador to what is described as a social knowledge economy based on the creation and support of open knowledge commons. One version of the plan is available online. He currently lives in Chiang Mai, Thailand. P2P theory. In "The Political Economy of Peer Production" Bauwens regards P2P phenomena as  an emerging alternative to capitalism, although he argues that "peer production is highly dependent on the market for peer production produces use-value [sic?] through mostly immaterial production, without directly providing an income for its producers."<ref name="ctheory12/1/2005"></ref> However, Bauwens goes on to argue that the interdependence is mutual: the capitalist system and market economies are also dependent on P2P production, particularly on distributed networks of information processing and production. Consequently, P2P economy may be seen as extending or already existing outside the sphere of free/open source software production and other non-rival immaterial goods. This idea is  explored also in the essay "Peer to Peer and Human Evolution" that expands the P2P meme beyond computer technology. It argues that egalitarian networking is a new form of relationship that is emerging throughout society, and profoundly transforming the way in which society and human civilization is organised. The essay argues that new forms of non-representational politics are a crucial ingredient in finding the solutions to current global challenges; as well as a new and progressive ethos representing the highest aspirations of the new generations. Controversy. As a principal moderator of the P2P Forum, Bauwens has taken a strong  stand against identity politics as antithetical to egalitarian participation within a forward-looking post-racial community. Social justice movements in wealthy Western economies often depict post-racialism as a manifestation of white privilege. In March 2021, numerous former participants within the P2P Forum formally dissociated themselves in opposition to Bauwens' explicit reactionary perspective. In May 2021, Bauwens allegedly removed several signatories of the disassociation statement from the P2P Foundation wiki. Since it is a community-maintained wiki, this raised further controversy. Two weeks later, Bauwens also edited the P2PF wiki article of P2P Lab (where several signatories belonged) diminishing its  role. The wiki entries have been restored by other wiki editors. Works. Bauwens has written for Open Democracy and Al Jazeera and has been mentioned by the New York Times, De Morgen, and Living Green Magazine.