De-fencing: Notes on the Cultural Ecosystem of the Commons in the Post-15M Spanish State

Abstract

What do we learn when we study the historical connections between the political sphere—events that make headlines—and the politics of daily life? What role have self-managed communities of practice and their networks played in the socioeconomic, political, and cultural transformations in post-15M Spain? Have they exhausted their potential, or have they just scratched the surface of their capabilities? This reflection illustrates some preliminary observations on the ecosystem of the commons and its communities of practice in post-15M Spain. It responds to some of these expansive and yet pressing questions offering initial answers based on structured interviews and participant observation of community members in forty-six self-managed communities of practice in Spain.