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P054


“Exploring Black Commons” 
Convenors:
Daniela Triml-Chifflard (University of Marburg, Germany)
Inga Scharf da Silva (Saravá Berlin)
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Format:
Workshop
Regional groups:
Afroamerica

Short Abstract:

This workshop explores the transformative potential of the Black Commons framework to challenge capitalist resource management of commodification and exploitation, and to imagine alternative forms of collective resource management to address today's multiple socio-environmental crises.

Long Abstract:

We aim to collectively explore the transformative potential of the "Black Commons" as a framework for imagining alternative forms of social life that challenge capitalist systems of commodification and exploitation. Black Commons center on the creation and preservation of shared resources, spaces, and social infrastructures by Black communities, cultivated through acts of resistance and survival.

Emerging in response to the violent domination and control over Black bodies, labor, and resources during and after slavery, Black Commons represent a radical alternative. Hidden spaces and practices allowed Black communities to claim autonomy beyond the reach of dominant power structures, reclaiming agency through collective action and mutual support. Grounded in distinct cosmologies and forms of knowledge, Black Commons emphasize a reciprocal relationship with the natural environment, fostering communal resilience and self-determination.

We invite participants to discuss the creativity and ingenuity embedded in Black commoning practices, and their potential to address today's multiple socio-ecological crises. Scholars, activists, and artists are encouraged to submit proposals for a panel exploring collective stewardship, resistance, and care within Black communities in the Americas and Europe.

Topics of interest include but are not limited to:

• Theoretical frameworks for understanding Black commons

• Historical and contemporary examples of Black commoning in rural and urban contexts

• Black communal economies, cooperative models, and mutual aid networks

• Intersection of Black commons with Black feminist thought

• Role of art, storytelling, and performance in shaping and preserving Black commons

• Environmental justice movements in Black communities


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