Year: 2026
Type: book-chapter
Abstract: In a time of ecological crisis, the notion of the commons can become a means to promote social justice, equity and sustainability responses to the challenges of a changing landscape. This chapter aims to reflect on the urgent need to rethink and practice the commons by understanding the ontological, epistemic and planetary backdrop within which this concept is embedded. Before considering the ethical aspects of governing the commons globally, an introductory discussion on cosmology and plural ontologies will take place to understand the role of pluralism in the context of globalisation. These onto-epistemic considerations aim to shed light on the implications of dichotomies such as North/South and global/local, particularly in relation to power and relationships to the commons. Although most struggles against unequal power are local, the question of how we can politically surpass a single struggle can only be achieved by imagining an accumulation of localisms (Massey, 2015). The power of the global is precisely that it differs from place to place, whilst building solidarity amongst diversity. After having sketched a philosophical case for moving beyond these dichotomies, practical policy directions will be suggested in the hope of shining some light on how an appropriate conceptualisation of the commons can guide ethical governance amongst diversity. The legal recognition of the rights of nature, or future generation acts are, amongst others, proposals that incorporate this pluralistic approach and radically shift the conceptualisation of the commons for the future.
Source: Springer eBooks
Author: Erin Rizzato Devlin
Institution: University of St Andrews
Language: English
Subfield: Nature and Landscape Conservation
Field: Environmental Science
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: hybrid
OpenAlex ID: W7169499069