Critical Essays on the Enclosure of the Cultural Commons: The Conceptual Foundations of Today's Mis-Education

Abstract

"Humans have been sustained by the cultural and environmental commons from the time of their first appearance on the vast savannas of what we now call Africa. The environment provided the source of food and fiber, wood for fire and shelter, and water. From the earliest times, there were norms that governed the nature of the family unit, the roles of men and women in performing various activities and ceremonies, what actions would be punished, status systems that regulated group decision-making, how the success of the hunt and later the harvest would be shared, how the dead were to be dealt with, and how young were mentored in the performance of various tasks. While the environment that was necessary for sustaining life was not referred to as the environmental commons, and while the cultural beliefs and norms that governed behavior and even led to various expressions of aesthetic judgment and performance were not referred to as the cultural commons, it is important that we make these two phrases a more central part of our thinking."