The Commons in History: Culture, Conflict, and Ecology

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Derek Wall (University of London) Michael Egan (Associate Professor, McMaster University)

The Commons in History

Culture, Conflict, and Ecology

Derek Wall (University of London), Michael Egan (Associate Professor, McMaster University)

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English

MIT Press
08 September 2017

Political science & theory; Social impact of environmental issues

Series: History for a Sustainable Future

An argument that the commons is neither tragedy nor paradise but can be a way to understand environmental sustainability.

The history of the commons-jointly owned land or other resources such as fisheries or forests set aside for public use-provides a useful context for current debates over sustainability and how we can act as ""good ancestors."" In this book, Derek Wall considers the commons from antiquity to the present day, as an idea, an ecological space, an economic abstraction, and a management practice. He argues that the commons should be viewed neither as a ""tragedy"" of mismanagement (as the biologist Garrett Hardin wrote in 1968) nor as a panacea for solving environmental problems. Instead, Walls sees the commons as a particular form of property ownership, arguing that property rights are essential to understanding sustainability. How we use the land and its resources offers insights into how we value the environment.

After defining the commons and describing the arguments of Hardin's influential article and Elinor Ostrom's more recent work on the commons, Wall offers historical case studies from the United States, England, India, and Mongolia. He examines the power of cultural norms to maintain the commons; political conflicts over the commons; and how commons have protected, or failed to protect ecosystems. Combining intellectual and material histories with an eye on contemporary debates, Wall offers an applied history that will interest academics, activists, and policy makers.

By: Derek Wall (University of London)
Series edited by: Michael Egan (Associate Professor McMaster University)
Imprint: MIT Press
Country of Publication: United States
Dimensions: Height: 203mm, Width: 137mm, Spine: 11mm
ISBN: 9780262534703
ISBN 10: 0262534703
Series: History for a Sustainable Future
Pages: 184
Publication Date: 08 September 2017
Recommended Age: From 18 years
Audience: Professional and scholarly , Undergraduate
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Active

Derek Wall, an English politician and member of the Green Party of England and Wales, is Associate Lecturer in the Department of Politics at Goldsmiths College, University of London. Among his books are The No-Nonsense Guide to Green Politics and The Rise of the Green Left.

Reviews for The Commons in History: Culture, Conflict, and Ecology

This is a terrific book. The first book in MIT Press's History for a Sustainable Future Series and written by English Green Party politician Derek Wall, the Commons in History is aimed less at scholars, I expect, than at a general audience of people who want to change the world by embracing common and collective forms of property. Environmental History