"Commoning" at the borderland: ecovillage development, socio-economic segregation and institutional mediation in southwestern Alentejo, Portugal

Abstract

This article sheds light on the exclusionary dynamics that emerge when the construction of commons-based alternative political ecologies does not take political economy considerations into account. It analyses the relationship between Tamera -Healing Biotope I, and the ecosystem, population and institutions of the region of southwestern Alentejo, Portugal, where this ecovillage is located. Tamera is based on a prefigurative process of "commoning", transplanted from Central European counter-culture, which created a "borderland" that spatially segregates and at the same time creates a point of contact between two contrasting cultural, ecological and socio-economic realities. However, maintaining the "borderland" granted the community access to the resources needed to develop its vision, while countering existing regulations, although eventually involving the state in the development of a new regulatory framework. Since the mid2000s, Tamera has been engaging in cultural dialogue with the local population, with the support of the municipality. The analysis raises the question of how to develop regulatory and financial instruments that support ecovillages in promoting inclusive strategies of economic sustainability, integrating them in placebased dynamics of regional development. The specificities of their biophysical and social processes must be taken into account, as well as their vocation as "testfields" for sustainability. Keywords: Regional political ecology, ecovillages, regional development, social exclusion, cultural dialogue, regulatory innovation, Portugal RésuméCet article traite de la dynamique d'exclusion qui peuvent émerger lors de la construction écologies politiques alternatives basées sur la gestion collective des biens communs ne tient pas compte des considérations d'économie politique. Il est basé sur l'étude de cas de la relation entre Tamera -Biotope guérison I, un écovillage situé dans la municipalité de Odemira (Portugal) et de l'écosystème, la population et les institutions de la région. La construction de Tamera est basée sur un processus de préfiguration « commoning » qui a été transplanté contre-culture en Europe centrale au sud-ouest de l'Alentejo. Ce processus a créé une « zone frontalière » qui sépare en même temps, crée un point de contact entre deux réalités culturelles, écologiques et socio-économiques contrastées. Cependant, cette « zone frontalière » a accordé l'accès communautaire aux ressources nécessaires pour développer leur point de vue, contrairement aux règlements en vigueur et impliquant l'Etat dans l'élaboration d'un nouveau cadre réglementaire. Depuis des années mi2000s, Tamera a fait la promotion d'un dialogue culturel avec la population locale, en comptant sur le soutien de la municipalité. L'analyse soulève la question de savoir comment élaborer des instruments réglementaires ResumenEste artículo aborda las dinámicas de exclusión que pueden emerger cuando la construcción de ecologías políticas alternativas basada en la gestión colectiva de bienes comunes no tie...

Community-based initiatives and the politicization gap in socio-ecological transitions: Lessons from Portugal

“…Only seven members are native Portuguese (cf. Esteves, 2017). CBIs are promoted by individuals with a significantly higher educational level than the average population, often belonging to the academic milieu (see for example Marques Balsa et al, 2016: 80 or Campos et al, 2016.…”

“…This informs a predominantly instrumental relationship with the political and economic spheres, for instance in order to acquire sufficient funding for their development and survival. Take for instance Tamera: several of its members spend the summer months in Northern Europe working in temporary jobs in order to provide sufficient funds for the project to survive over the rest of the year (Esteves, 2017). Similarly, the Amoreiras Village Convergence Centre (ACC) in Odemira initially brought in five people with a one year work-contract while others arrived as volunteers, using their own financial resources, hoping that the ACC would eventually create jobs.…”

“…We build on the hypothesis that CBIs remain an untapped resource for socio-ecological transitions and institutional innovation in Portugal. The scarce literature on Portuguese CBIs (Baumgarten, 2017;Esteves, 2017;Fernandes-Jesus, 2017;Marques Balsa et al, 2016;Santos et al, 2016;Rocha et al, 2016) assesses them from a predominantly descriptive standpoint, avoiding reflection on crucial dynamics such as their structure, reach, or possible future socio-economic pathways. Here we analyse the nuances of Portuguese CBIs' engagement with the public and political arenas and examine their potential role as active change actors leading a desired socio-ecological transition towards sustainability.…”

Eco-Discourses in a Virtual Rural Community

“…It is important to see the ways in which the Szekler Ecovillage group is similar and different from other intentional virtual communities, the level of its members' engagement into conversations and activities, as well as the types of messages they convey. Ecovillages are forms of intentional communities that have more than a two-decade history of research and practice internationally [15,[19][20][21][22][23], but still remains a new topic in Romania [24,25].…”

“…Innovation is a central issue in the discussions of the ecologist movements oriented towards sustainability, as research shows [26][27][28][29][30]. In contrast (without an unequivocal consensus on the sense of the term), the impact of traditions on environmentalist ideas is seldom investigated in the reviewed literature [22,[31][32][33]. It is important however to note that traditions might play a similarly essential role as innovations in seeking ways to turn away from the modern unsustainable lifestyles towards environmental sustainability.…”