Beyond private and public: The promise of the commons
The new online journal Re-public invites contributions for its upcoming special issue entitled "Beyond private and public: The promise of the commons". The dichotomy between the private and the public forms the basis of theories of democracy. In recent years, this distinction has been challenged: examples include the erosion of the public sphere by private interests and the increasing control of the private domain by state authorities. New concepts and practices that move beyond this primary dichotomy are needed in order to face the contemporary crisis of democratic societies. Signifying a new social and economic space beyond government regulation and market control, the commons has been proposed as a feasible institutional alternative to both private and public arrangements. The issue aims to explore the openings that the concept of the 'commons' presents for democratic theory and practice. Possible topics include:
l Developing a theory of the commons
l Problematising the private/public dichotomy
l The open source movement
l Internet government
l The information society
l The commons and governance
l Management of (intellectual) property
l Tracing the commons in contemporary social practices
Essays should be approximately 1.000 words long.
We will also publish journalistic pieces or reports of shorter length.
Please submit contributions in any electronic format to:
phatzopoulos AT re-public.gr
Deadline for articles: 31 October 2006
For more information, see www.re-public. gr/en
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