Think (not) like a commoner
Over the past 10 years, the P2P Lab research collective, spin-off of the P2P Foundation global community, has been creating interdisciplinary action-based research on commons-based practices. Simultaneously, we have been learning from the communities and practices we document. We have thus integrated successful patterns of commoning in the P2P Lab modus operandi and until 2019 we were co-creating the P2P Foundation’s structure and governance.
For some background, as of March 2019, for several reasons that had to do with disagreements on legal and operational arrangements of the P2P Foundation, the P2P Lab members withdrew from their roles in the global core team of the Foundation. We remained in support with the, at the time, overall vision and mission, but would no longer coordinate the P2P Foundation research stream. Ever since, the relations between the two entities, both as organizations as well as interpersonally, have been growing apart, and not always conflict-free.
Over the last two years the intellectual and political pursuits of Michel Bauwens have gradually taken a certain turn. In vain of recurring concerns expressed by many people at the time closely associated with the P2P Foundation, these developments have inevitably affected the relations with the P2P Lab henceforth. This led to the support of the letter of disassociation (for details see here: https://p2p-left.gitlab.io/statement) by three P2P Lab members, namely Christina Priavolou, Alekos Pantazis and myself.
A few days later, another line was crossed: the entries on the profiles of the above three members of the P2P Lab were deleted from the P2P Foundation wiki by Michel Bauwens, citing “cancel campaign” as a comment. The entries were obviously deleted because of our support to the letter of disassociation, yet it should be noted that these were not profiles or user accounts in some Facebook page or a website that belongs to Michel. These were entries in a wiki, maintained and contributed to by a community of hundreds of people. Moreover, the entries of P2P Lab members contained information and links to large research projects on P2P and the commons, as well as links to full-texts of research papers, some of which were not otherwise accessible to most people with no institutional affiliation.
The wiki entries have been reinstated by another editor of the P2P Foundation wiki, which, if anything, demonstrates the diversity of viewpoints and community-based ethics this open space conveys. Personally, even as I have been distancing myself from the P2P Foundation, I chose to keep updating my personal entry, as well as other entries on the P2P Foundation wiki. Beyond personal disputes, I have been valuing the wiki as a collective medium, a type of public sphere that is beyond individuals, which is needed now more than ever. And I was definitely relieved to see my views validated.
But apparently there was more to come. A couple of weeks ago, the wiki entry on the P2P Lab featured a peculiar “status” section citing that “around 2019 the P2P Lab became fully autonomous and local”. First, P2P Lab has always been autonomous, legally, financially and operationally, even as its members collectively coordinated the P2P Foundation’s research activities. Second, with a growing list of international affiliates and associates and research projects spanning across three continents, the characterization “local” is condescending to the very least. Moreover, the list of projects mentioned in the wiki entry stops in 2019, omitting pioneering research project’s that P2P Lab is part of, such as Reflow, Heteropolitics, Centrinno, SMOOTH and our main project Cosmolocalism.
And this is not even the best part: After the last updates and the addition of the weird status a protection has been added to the entry, allowing further edits only by administrators. So, there is a misleading image deliberately painted for the P2P Lab, while depriving the community of contributors of this wiki from access to a commons they collectively helped create and steward.
This sadly demonstrates Michel’s attitude towards the P2P community. In the name of his individualistic campaign against “cancel culture” or any other bogeyman, he does not hesitate to destroy the commons he initially helped generate. The commons he used to take pride in and upon which his reputation and livelihood depended, are now manipulated towards his personal agenda. This is, almost verbatim, the definition of extractive attitude that we provide in the book that still carries his name as first author, something we collectively agreed upon three years ago to honor his lifelong contribution to the commons to that day.
This time it was the wiki entries of the P2P Lab and three P2P people who supported a stance Michel dissents. Tomorrow it might be the entries of another commons-oriented project or case study. Isolating oneself in an echo chamber of one’s own voice is dangerous enough. Trying to reformulate reality to suit one’s worldview is beyond repair. And this attitude all the more validates the reasons for which some of us chose to sign the letter of disassociation.
There is no commons without commoning. But likewise, patterns of commoning can reinstate the commons and stop extractive practices. Fortunately, digital commons are much easier to reinstate than natural, or as it seems, social commons. The wiki keeps history of all changes and will remain there to formulate our collective consensus when the dust settles.
It should be noted that we have tried to contact Michel privately and inquire about the above described questionable choices for the P2P Lab entry, yet we have received no response to the day of publication of this short piece. I understand there are sensitive dimensions in this situation, especially for people having shared long-standing and comradely feelings in our little P2P universe. So, I have decided to bring these developments in the public eye, but have no other specific agenda.
As a matter of principle, but also due to time constraints, I do not engage in discussions on social media, so I apologize in advance in case I do not respond to public comments here or other public venues. I remain available to address questions or comments privately, in the reflexive and patient manner required in such situations.
All of our contacts, as well as our research, will continue to be available on the P2P Lab website: https://www.p2plab.gr/en.
Update: As of May 27, 2021, and upon discussions between the P2P Lab core members and an editor of the P2P Foundation wiki (the same person that reinstated the wiki entries of the P2P Lab members) the questionable status on the P2P Lab entry has been amended. Access to the entry remains restricted.