The local organizers of the XVIIth Biennial Conference of the International Association for the Study of the Commons welcome abstracts for papers, panels, videos, and posters to be presented at this conference, to be held in Lima, Peru, from 1 to 5 July 2019. The meeting will be held in the PUCP’s Lima campus and will be hosted by both PUCP’s Faculty of Social Sciences, and the Department of Economics of the Universidad de Los Andes (Bogotá, Colombia).
With the theme of the conference, ‘In Defense of the Commons: Challenges, Innovation and Action’, we intend to provide scholars, practitioners, and policymakers with a forum to debate the contemporary role of the commons in a globalized world. Analyzing issues such as climate change, ecosystem resilience, and sustainability through the application of commons theory offers potential for finding alternative solutions. In light of growing economic and power inequalities, gender imbalances, and impending scarcity, there is a need to find ways to address these pressing challenges occurring around the globe.
The IASC 2019 global conference in Lima offers the prospect for the IASC to venture into a fascinating region of the world incorporating the Andes, the Amazon, and the Pacific, where many natural resources currently managed by ethnic communities are under threat from privatization and/or state appropriation. The region has a complex history of contestation over land and other resources, combined with thriving social movements initiated by indigenous groups in relation to shared ownership and use. The region incorporates a range of difficult issues for exploration and will benefit from application of the rich multi-disciplinary views and experiences of IASC members who will attend from around the world.
We welcome proposals for workshops, round tables, panels, and dialogues that integrate practitioners, academics and other stakeholders.
1. Institutions and actions for the protection of the commons in the 21st century
This track will examine the conditions that enable and challenge collective action supportive of the commons in different contexts. Proposals could explore the following issues:
The nature of distinct discourses, agendas, and experiences that enable a (re)focusing of society and economy towards greater sustainability and equity.
The role of non-state actors in supporting the commons and the use of global initiatives to increase their resilience.
The role of ethnic community proposals for socio-environmental justice in catalyzing regional and global movements.
The influence of social movements in driving institutional change in defense of the commons, particularly in relation to legal and policy reforms affecting land tenure rights, shared knowledge, territorial titling, and self-determination.
2. Multilevel and polycentric governance
This track will focus on the relation between people, commons resources, the state, markets, and the role of sub-national governments. We invite proposals engaging with issues related to the interplay between: polycentric governance, the governance of global resources, the interplay of climate change and conservation policies, and the impact of interactions between local change and the future of global resources. We also welcome proposals on new economic strategies such as REDD and PES (payments for environmental services) as mechanisms to promote conservation and how these interact with the commons and community governance.
3. Challenging privatization: old and new urban commons
Conditions brought about by massive migration to cities generate new challenges for the studying of the commons, including urban agriculture, parks conservation, and the adequate provision of water and open spaces for recreation. In addition, proposals under this track may explore the commons in relation to the following topics: energy flows and materials in urban ecosystems, water and urban waste management, public spaces, gentrification, "environmental racism", environmental justice, popular epidemiology, green belts, and urban zoning.
4. Extractive industries and the commons on land and sea
This track deals with the growing material and economic flows of the world economy, the continuous expansion of the agro-industrial and extractive frontiers, and the challenges these pose for local commons (e.g. ecological distribution conflicts). Proposals under this sub-theme will explore the dynamics of exclusion, control, defense, and governance of commons in the context of the rollback of rights in favor of extractive investment. Proposals will also engage with issues of power to explore issues such as:
The relationship between uses of a commons resource and its boundaries
Boundary setting in relation to commons (who is involved in the nature of their roles)
Opportunities and threats for commons created as a result of expansion of extractive industries
Current trends in the management of coastal resources, their benefits, and their challenges
The nature of coastal commons, and comparison with other forms of commons
Opportunities and challenges for the defense of the commons using hybrid state-market-communal arrangements (e.g. TURFs, management zones, fishing coops)
The panels under this track will explore the different kinds of conflicts and open violence that take place over the commons. Engagement is likely to include papers on inequality and conflict over commons, the role of civil conflicts and illegal economies, the impact on gender relationships, and the fragile position of environmental activists who are often threatened while defending natural resources.
5. Knowledge as commons and information technologies
This track explores the challenges and benefits of information technology in the defense and management of the commons, inviting discussions of whether technology empowers local communities or makes them more vulnerable to external control. Presentations will examine topics such as: the use of technology (e.g. social networks, drones, citizens’ science, handheld technologies) for participatory monitoring; land demarcation; and, reporting on invasions and deforestation. Issues of interest under this track include the following:
Utilization of social network platforms such as Facebook, Linkedin, Instagram and others in relation to the commons, and explorations of the issues, limitations and roles of social media tools
Technology as a ‘game-changer’ for ecosystem restoration
The potential utilization of artificial intelligence in relation to commons management and governance
6. Alternatives to mainstream models of development: BuenVivir, Ecofeminism and Degrowth
This track will enable conference participants to examine alternative proposals to mainstream development practices and discourses. Panels will examine South American experiences and strategies for better livelihoods in relation to alternatives to development arising in other regions, such as de-growth and ecofeminism. Papers and presentations that explore and/or critique the future of the commons under alternative models are also welcomed.
7. Methods, disciplines, and models for studying the commons
This track will enable conference delegates to examine past and current methodological approaches applied to understanding the commons and assess their usefulness in today’s world. Papers will analyze the role of economics as a key driver for political action in the commons, including exploration of different approaches such as experimental, ecological and resource economics, and political ecology. How economic approaches contrast with other complex-system, multi-level, transdisciplinary approaches will also be examined, in support of the effort to use the best available knowledge on the socio-ecological dynamics that govern commons resources.
Multi-stakeholder Dialogues
Building on the fruitful experience of the Practitioner’s Labs in the previous IASC global conference (held in Utrecht in 2017), the Multi-stakeholder Dialogues will provide a unique platform for knowledge exchange across different social actors.These ‘dialogue’ sessions are designed to be flexible and can take different formats (e.g., roundtable, workshop, living lab, open discussion, etc.). They will be structured around a particular question, or challenge, facing commons theory, practice, management or governance.
The key features of the ‘dialogues’ will be the relevance of the challenge/question tackled and its composition: they must be composed of at least two different types of commons-related stakeholder (e.g. citizen, practitioner, indigenous peoples’ organizations representatives, private sector, public sector, policymaker, academic researcher, local communities activist).
Those proposing ‘dialogue’ sessions will need to develop a coherent description of the proposed sessions, the aims, and objectives, and identify the range and types of stakeholders involved. Multi-stakeholder Dialogue proposals will need to include:
a brief explanation of the societal relevance of the main topic and the Dialogue format (e.g. roundtable, workshop, discussion, etc.);
a list of the participants (at least two different categories of stakeholder – with the ideal being three or more) and their expected contribution;
a description of how knowledge exchange and/or co-production will be promoted during the session (how are you thinking to engage participants on a co-production of knowledge? how are you planning to synthesize the discussion?).
Submission guidelines
Proposals for panels, panel-related papers, and multi-stakeholder dialogues can be submitted in English, Spanish, and Portuguese. Do note however that proposals in Spanish or Portuguese should always include a participant who can translate to English during discussions. Proposals for single papers and posters should always be in English.
