About

Infrastructures, Sustainability and the Commons (ISC) Project
Resources—ranging from sand, oil, sunlight, and wind to forests, public spaces, health, and wellbeing—have traditionally formed part of the political economy of the commons or semi-commons. With the rise of capitalist modes of production, many of these resources became commodified. However, in the context of so-called post-capitalist transformations, there has been a growing movement advocating for the return of these resources to the commons, either partially or fully.
Within this framework, debates on infrastructure and sustainability are being reconsidered to account for these shifting dynamics in the political economy of resources.
The ISC project approaches these developments ethnographically, examining newly emerging notions of sustainability and infrastructure in relation to transformations in the political economy of the commons during (post-)capitalism.
The project includes case studies in Turkey, Greece, the Netherlands, Indonesia, Brazil and the Guyanas.
The ISC project is funded by a Stimulation Grant from the Dutch Ministry of Education and the Faculty of Social Sciences at Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam. The project is anchored by Professor Dimitris Dalakoglou (Social Anthropology, VU Amsterdam).
Research Team:

• Dimitris Dalakoglou
• Marjo de Theije
• Freek Colombijn
• Louisa Schneider
• Leonidas Oikonomakis
• Rachma Lutfiny Putri
• ​Baris Esser
• Flavio Eiro de Oliviera
  

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Contact (Principal Investigator):
D. Dalakoglou — [email protected]