The Enclosure of the Commons and the War Economy: A Feminist and Anti-Colonial Critique |
Poster issued during World War I by the educational division of the U.S. Food Administration – Public Domain
The commons refers to shared cultural and natural resources, such as air, water, and land, which are accessible to and protected by all members of a community. More than just a collection of resources, the commons represents a foundational model for organizing social and economic life through collective care, mutual responsibility, and sustainable stewardship. For millennia, this model has sustained communities, fostering systems rooted in cooperation rather than competition. However, over the last several centuries, the commons have been eroded by the forces of privatization, militarization, and capitalist expansion.The war economy—a system driven by conquest, territorial control, and profit accumulation—relies on the enclosure of the commons to commodify nature and generate private wealth. This process not only extracts resources but also fractures the social fabric of communities, replacing cooperation with competition and shared care with exclusion.
The destruction of the commons is not merely an economic or environmental crisis but is instead deeply rooted in power structures that disproportionately impact women and other marginalized groups.
Feminist scholars have been at the forefront of exploring the gendered dimensions of the commons and highlighting how its destruction disproportionately impacts women, providing a crucial understanding of the role of the commons in the modern era.
The Beginning of the Privatization of Communal Resources
In early medieval Europe, common lands were essential to rural survival, providing communities with access to firewood, grazing grounds, and fresh water. These resources were collectively managed and governed according to local customs. However, as feudalism took hold and Europe’s imperial ambitions grew, the commons came under increasing threat. The rise of centralized states and expanding militarized economies led to the systematic enclosure and privatization of communal resources. The English Enclosure Movement of the 16th century epitomized this shift, as vast tracts of common land were transformed into private property, syphoning wealth to a minority of elites while permanently dispossessing local populations.
The enclosure of the commons was not confined to Europe—it became a global strategy of domination central to the colonization of Africa and the Americas. In many African societies, values such as hospitality, generosity, and mutual care were foundational to communal life. These principles, which prioritized collective well-being over individual accumulation, were misinterpreted by European colonizers as signs of weakness or inferiority. African societies, rich in both ecological and cultural commons, welcomed outsiders. Tragically, this........