Commoning through the lifecourse: The mundane politics of retirement and life beyond the wage

Hanmer, Owain

Abstract

The general shift from the static commons to the more dynamic one of commoning offers opportunities, both analytically and practically. In particular, it offers us the opportunity for exploring the more hidden and quiet politics that not only sustain everyday life but gives meaning, pleasure, and purpose beyond narrow capitalistic values. In this research, I claim that there is potential for theorising commoning as it relates to the lifecourse, by exploring people’s changing relationship with political-economic structures within capitalist societies. Through the lens of retirement, I highlight some mundane everyday actions that extend beyond our capitalocentric imagination of value, based on ethnographic research carried out in allotments and community gardens in Cardiff, Wales. I argue that ordinary moments of commoning emerge in the interstitial vacuums of capital—in areas that cannot necessarily be understood or comprehended within its logic or structure. I explore how retired gardeners come together in such situations to feel powerful, to regain some sense of control and collective belonging in an alienating world, and to practice ‘commoning’ that is creative and pleasurable. This introduces the possibilities for uncovering the hidden, quiet, and mundane moments of commoning that point towards new social and political possibilities.

• Presentation Conference Type: Conference Paper (unpublished)
• Conference Name: Deep Commons Conference
• Start Date: Oct 27, 2022
• Deposit Date: Nov 27, 2023
• Publicly Available Date: Nov 28, 2023
• Public URL: https://uwe-repository.worktribe.com/output/11458517