Commons-and-commoning Writing Retreat

An international writing Retreat on the topic of "Commons and Commoning" took place at Friedensau Adventist University (FAU) from 2 to 6 June 2025. 27 academics, practitioners and 13 students came together to explore the theory and practice of commons research. The Retreat was led by Dr Jill Blau, Director of the Master's programme in Development Studies (Online) at the FAU.

This event was part of an ongoing academic project in preparation for a special issue of the "Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences" (PNAS) and followed on from previous meetings at the University of Michigan and the University of Barcelona. The aim was to question conventional academic hierarchies and open up spaces for interdisciplinary, inclusive and joyful science.

A Writing Retreat with a difference

The Friedensau Writing Retreat was characterised by the deliberate linking of academic collaboration with the development of an intentional community. Dr Blau's conceptual aspiration was to create a space in which both learning and unlearning processes could take place, with the aim of developing not only texts but also new forms of collaboration.

• The participants organised themselves thematically with the following focal points:
• Commoning and climate disasters
• Commons and social movements
• The role of technology in commoning
• Care and commoning
• Commoning and upscaling

In daily discussions, feedback rounds and supervision sessions, the groups worked according to principles of horizontal learning and shared responsibility.

From theory to practice

The Retreat was not only a place of academic production, but also a consciously designed social space. The daily routine combined concentrated writing phases with community-building activities such as:

• specialist lectures and structured feedback
• student-led campus tours
• communal cookery evenings
• relaxation and musical activities

This integrative approach not only promoted productive collaboration, but also mutual trust, a sense of belonging and a feeling of belonging – aspects that are often lacking in traditional academic contexts.

Content focus and research perspectives

The writing process focused on interdisciplinary analyses and reflections on current challenges in commons research, including:

• Geopolitics and cultural practices
• Indigenous knowledge and gender relations
• Urban commons and urban development
• Digital commons and artificial intelligence
• Migration and mobile commoning
• Access to housing
• Legal and systemic threats to the commons

These topics formed the basis for the development of joint contributions to be published in a special issue of the "Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences".

Global participation, shared vision

The writing workshop brought together renowned scientists from various disciplines and regions, including:

• Prof Arun Agrawal, University of Notre Dame (USA), Director of the Just-Transformations-to-Sustainability Initiative
• Prof Rebecca Hardin, University of Michigan (USA), School for Environment and Sustainability
• Dr Angelos Varvarousis, Autonomous University of Barcelona (Spain)
• Prof Sourayan Mookerjea, University of Alberta (Canada), Department of Sociology
• Dr Danai Toursoglou Papalexandridou, Boston Area Research Initiative, Northeastern University (USA)

Image Rights all Photos: Friedensau Adventist University