James Arvanitakis

The Cultural Commons of Hope James Arvanitakis

Our world is confronted by a number of crises - global warming, entrenched poverty and military conflicts such as the 'war on terror'. While these crises appear disconnected, this study examines how they are both interrelated and dominate our experiences of modernity. As these crises are often aggravated by the very solutions proposed to solve them, this experience of modernity can be described as 'pathological'. Pathological modernity is driven by a frontier disposition that encloses and commodifies non-commercial spaces (or commons), and creates a crisis of scarcity. This commodification began with the natural world, moved through societal institutions and the human body, and is now commodifying the final frontier of the human experience: enclosing our hopes, trust and sense of safety. Despite its dominance, this logic of enclosure is being challenged by resistance movements which are producing alternative visions of society based on hope, trust and a sense of abundance. This book will appeal to those attempting to understand why many of today's challenges are so entrenched, as well as those involved in environmental and social justice struggles both locally and internationally.