Reclaiming the Commons for the Common Good
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- 15,99 €
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- 15,99 €
Beschreibung des Verlags
Commoning was a way of life for most of our ancestors. In Reclaiming the Commons for the Common Good, author Heather Menzies journeys to her roots in the Scottish Highlands, where her family lived in direct relation with the land since before recorded time.
Beginning with an intimate account of unearthing the heritage of the commons and the real tragedy of its loss, Menzies offers a detailed description of the self-organizing, self-governing, and self-informing principles of this nearly forgotten way of life, including its spiritual practices and traditions. She then identifies pivotal commons practices that could be usefully revived today. A final "manifesto" section pulls these facets together into a unified vision for reclaiming the commons, drawing a number of current popular initiatives into the commoning frame, such as local food security, permaculture, and the Occupy Movement.
An engaging memoir of personal and political discovery, Reclaiming the Commons for the Common Good combines moving reflections on our common heritage with a contemporary call to action, individually and collectively; locally and globally. Readers will be inspired by the book's vision of reviving the commons ethos of empathy and mutual respect, and energized by her practical suggestions for connection people and place for the common good.
Heather Menzies is an award-winning writer and scholar and member of the Order of Canada. She is the author of nine books, including Whose Brave New World? and No Time.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Tackling issues ranging from 18th-century enclosures to modern ecoliteracy, Order of Canada recipient Menzies (Whose Brave New World?) seeks to critique the rapid pace of technological and economic expansion and inspire change in how people live and interact, but her work ultimately falls short of its lofty goals. Having previously described the negative consequences of market globalization, Menzies here attempts to provide an alternative to the profit-driven market economy. Structured as a memoir and manifesto, Menzies's book is personal, political, and spiritual, as she begins with an emotional journey to the Scottish Highlands, the homeland of her ancestors. Menzies learns how Scottish farmers once lived in common, meaning they shared part of their holdings, worked together for the betterment of all, and were spiritually connected to their community and land. The book argues that the values of the commons can exist in modern society and concludes by outlining various actions, ranging from gardening to purchasing fair trade products, that can revive the "commons way of life." Menzies effectively outlines contemporary problems, but her romantic understanding of the past, which ignores the harsh realities of life in pre-modern Scotland, and her worldview, which may seem too idealistic to many readers, limit the credibility of her solution.
