Knowledge commons

Definition

Knowledge commons (Hess & Ostrom, 2007; Sabzalieva & Quinteiro, 2022), commons and common good are umbrella terms. The purpose of this page is to capture the diversity of existing meanings, opening the debate widely.

In the Aristotelian’s meaning for example, a common good is: “a good belonging to and attainable only by the community yet individually shared by its members” (Dupré, 1993, p. 687).

In addition, a variety of commons exist, e.g. natural commons, information commons, urban commons, digital commons, etc. and influence research from one domain into the other. For instance, "Hess and Ostrom (2007) caution that research on knowledge commons does not take into account the breadth and depth of the literature on natural-resource commons. Knowledge commons are analyzed both from the perspective of enclosure and the perspective of openness/inclusiveness (i.e., democracy and human rights). In the former, threats take the form of property legislation that prevents open access to knowledge. In the latter, which draws on Benkler (2001), the focus is on digital interoperability, Open Science, and networks to the detriment of the importance of sharing and using shared knowledge to support sustainable democratic societies (Hess and Ostrom, 2007, p. 13). What is needed is a framework that respects the fundamental properties of commons, including the sustainability of the community, shared, and collaboratively managed resources. As a reminder, Ostrom (1990)’s principles for the successful management of natural-resource commons are as follows: clearly defined community boundaries, congruence between rules and local conditions, collective choice arrangements, monitoring, graduated sanctions, conflict resolution mechanisms, local enforcement of local rules, and multiple layers of nested enterprises (Rozas et al., 2021). Inspired by research on natural-resource commons, a similar framework could organize research on knowledge commons. Indeed, research is emerging that attempts to apply the management of natural-resource commons to knowledge commons (e.g., Sanfilippo et al., 2018 see Figure 1 and Table 7 specifically; Stuermer et al., 2017)" (Class, 2022).

Call for papers

Pannel on Knowledge Commons at IASC 2023

The XIX Biennal International Association for the Study of the Commons (IASC) Conference on the topic of "The Commons we want: between historical legacies and future collective actions" hosts a pannel on What about revitalising African knowledge commons for/through education? The summary is accessible below and papers can be submitted until December 12, 2022.

In this panel, we suggest to discuss knowledge commons beyond the 2030 agenda and beyond theories of development, within the framework of Open Science (UNESCO, 2021).

Leveraging epistemologies from the South, we explore how to move away from post-positivist approaches created by the Global North, first by recognising absences, and next by encouraging emergences of different knowledge systems (Santos, 2016).

How can overall life philosophies such as Maat or Ubu-ntu contribute to create alternative ways to education? How can educating in community languages empower learners towards a holistic cultural identity? How can leadership be developed to train individuals to become bridges, proficient of one local culture / language of the Global South and one of the North?

Taking advantage of the momentum and current awareness with regards to knowledge commons in Africa, i.e. topics that concern the Global South and are discussed in and for the Global South in journals hosted for instance on African Journals Online (AJOL), education is discussed in a much deeper sense than schooling, in temporalities that far exceed international agendas.

Finally, rather than addressing knowledge and natural commons as two different entities in the modern perspective (Latour, 2006), we consider them one and the same commons, in interaction, and nurturing one another. This with respect also to traditional ways of educating through initiation which take place in forests.

References:

Latour, B. (2006). Nous n'avons jamais été modernes: Essai d'anthropologie symétrique. Paris: La Découverte.

Santos, B. d. S. (2016). Epistémologies du Sud : mouvements citoyens et polémique sur la science. Paris: Desclée de Brouwer.

UNESCO. (2021). Recommendation on Open Science. https://unesdoc.unesco.org/ark:/48223/pf0000379949.locale=en

External websites

• International Journal of the Commons (IJC), https://www.thecommonsjournal.org/
• International Association for the Study of the Commons (IASC), https://iasc-commons.org/