 Omnia sunt communia: A review of the commons in Quebec
The commons are innovative forms of socio-economic cooperation that promote collective autonomy, self-management and the reappropriation of means of subsistence. In Quebec, a multitude of collective projects over the last decade subscribed to this paradigm with a view to rebuilding social ties and initiating an ecological transition. In this introduction, we situate these collective initiatives in the vast field of research on the commons by distinguishing two approaches within the literature: the work of the Bloomington School, in the tradition of Elinor Ostrom’s research, as well as anti-capitalist perspectives that problematize the relationship between the commons, enclosures and capitalism. Secondly, we provide a historical overview of the commons as a way to contextualize the place of these initiatives in Quebec society over the long term, including with regard to the social economy and self-management initiatives of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries.