Commons have historically been contested spaces, not only due to internal tensions within communities but also and as importantly due to the involvement/interest of actors outside of communities managing them. Of these, State and market are the two entities that threaten the status of commons as community owned spaces in a critical way. The interactions of these different entities and the tensions that are produced influence how commons are perceived and used and are the roots out of which acts of resistance and social movements grow. Violence is frequently embedded in the way power plays out on ground, denying rights to access and use resources and is responded to by coming together of less-powerful and marginalized groups facing the brunt of the conflict. Such solidarity and resistance can be witnessed in the different social movements that have taken place throughout the history of commons.

last updated by Ayush 1 year, 2 months ago.

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