Commons Movements: Old and New Trends in Rural and Urban Contexts

Over the past few years, studies in political ecology and environmental justice have been increasingly connecting commons social movements empirically, giving shape to a new, distinctive body of research on movements. In our review, we first organize synthesize empirical lessons from this literature. We then highlight recent theoretical efforts made by scholars both bridge transcend gap between theory movement theory. As illustrate, can help create strengthen institutions discourses, as well rescale them horizontally vertically. This is particularly evident context rural community-rights global South, new water food community energy South North. Commons institutions, turn, serve basis mobilization become key frame for movements, shown local livelihoods conflicts anti-privatization struggles. Tensions contradictions commons-movement dynamics also exist reflect trade-offs diversity versus uniformization organizational closure expansion discourses practices. Theoretically, there an opportunity cross boundaries movementtheory vice versa, e.g., highlighting role opportunities framing, biophysical factors polycentricity, respectively. More importantly, emerging focusing cross-scalar organizations, virtuous cycles projects mobilization, processes commons-making.