Social Revolution and the Commons

What does it mean to say no to a capitalist social system that has the power to put life to
work for its own development and, in so doing, shapes subjectivities, horizons, architectures,
urban and rural spaces, life rhythms, ecologies, and polities in its own image? This question
arises with particular urgency in the midst of one of the deepest capitalist crises, with its
catastrophic social and ecological consequences. This article argues that the answer to our
question resides ultimately in a particular type of social power, one that recomposes the social
practice of the commons to achieve autonomy from capital, especially and initially in matters of
social reproduction (food, health, care, housing, knowledge, and education).

South Atlantic Quarterly: Austerity and Revolt
Volume 113, Number 2, Spring 2014 Werner Bonefeld and John Holloway, Special Issue Editors