Synopses & Reviews
Synopsis
With the unwavering dominance of neoliberal globalisation, the recent collapse of the global financial market, energy and ecological crises, and a growing cohort of so-called failed states, economic life for many is now characterised more by uncertainty and vulnerability than by connectedness and innovation. Amidst this instability, new or renewed forms of 'more-than-capitalist' economic practice have surfaced, variously challenging, deflecting or destabilising the underlying economic relationships that underpin contemporary crises. These variously-named moral, sharing or gift economies are not only forms of alternative capitalisms, many of which circumvent or transgress capitalist relations of production altogether, offering hints of an alternative future to the crisis-prone present. Indeed, some of the most powerful examples of sharing economies are the everyday, informal practices of mutuality, solidarity and resourcefulness that often go unnoticed.
This timely collection makes a distinctive theoretical and empirical contribution to understanding the everyday spaces, practices and politics of sharing and gift economies, and specifically what they can tell us about alternative economic futures in an uncertain and volatile world. How people cope, survive, or even thrive in crises is a pivotal question of contemporary society. This volume therefore critically engages with sharing-based economies as an increasingly prominent and innovative field of everyday economic practice, exploring their possibilities and challenges to the development of sustainable and just relationships among people and with the turbulent world around them.
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Synopsis
The 'new sharing economy' is a growing phenomenon across the Global North. It claims to transform relationships of production and consumption in a way that can improve our lives, reduce environmental impacts, and reduce the cost of living. Amidst various economic, environmental, and other crises, this message has strong resonance. Yet, it is not without controversy, and there have been heated debates over negative dimensions for workers and consumers alike. This book stretches far beyond the sharing economy as it is popularly defined, and explores the complex intersections of 'sharing' and 'the economy', and how a better understanding of these relationships might help us address the multiple crises that confront contemporary societies.
The contributors to this book explore a wide diversity of sharing systems and practices from various empirical case studies, ranging from hospitality to seed-swapping, and from indigenous land rights to alcohol consumption. In each chapter, a different crisis or vulnerability frames and shapes the study, allowing contributors to unpick the ways in which crisis and sharing relate to one another in real life. The book is divided into three thematic sections. Following an extended introduction to the themes and ideas of the book by the editors, the first section foregrounds the shaping of sharing practices by already-existing or anticipated crises. The second section focuses in on the lived relations between sharing and economic practice. In the third section, authors conclude the book by exploring the possibilities and challenges for creating alternative economic forms grounded in practices of sharing.
This edited volume makes a major, original contribution towards academic understandings of sharing economies in the context of crises. It is suitable for both students and academics who are interested in political economy, economic geography and consumption.
Synopsis
This book stretches far beyond the sharing economy as it is popularly defined, and explores the complex intersections of 'sharing' and 'the economy', and how a better understanding of these relationships might help us address the multiple crises that confront contemporary societies. The contributors to this book explore a wide diversity of sharing systems and practices from various empirical case studies, ranging from hospitality to seed-swapping, and from indigenous land rights to alcohol consumption. In each chapter, a different crisis or vulnerability frames and shapes the study, allowing contributors to unpick the ways in which crisis and sharing relate to one another in real life.