Contribution short abstract:

This paper introduces autonomous goods; objects in autonomous/anarchist spaces that transition from discarded or devalued items to reclaimed, repurposed, and re-imagined goods not defined by arbitrary ownership; but their fluid use and relationships with the people and spaces that re-imagine them.

Contribution long abstract:

In this paper, I introduce the concept of autonomous goods, objects that transition from discarded or devalued items within capitalist systems to reclaimed and repurposed goods in autonomous spaces. These goods, ranging from food to furniture to bicycles, were discarded or donated because they no longer held valu within market logics. Upon entering autonomous spaces (such as the squat i researched in Prague), they were integrated into the collective’s anti-capitalist logics and thus not governed by traditional ownership or exchange values. Instead, their meanings and values were determined through usage and transformation by collective members driven by the space's needs, and governed by social norms, individual capacities, and decentralized autonomous actions.

The usage regimes were based on 'anarchist' autonomy, where individual actions were integrated within collective solidarity, mutual aid, and communal well-being. Goods were reconfigured and repurposed, altering their form, function, and value; and affected their usage rights as they moved through the space. While upcycling or usage provided individuals with control over items, this was temporary; defined by location, need, and current usage.

Autonomous goods are not defined arbitrarily by ownership, but by their ongoing relationship with the people and spaces that re-imagine them. Their autonomy lies in their fluidity – their ability to take on new roles and meanings based on the collective’s spontaneous needs. As such, these items are in constant flux, always being transformed or moving throughout the community; freely accessible to anyone, existing in a liminal state where they are simultaneously no one’s, yet everyone’s.