Economic abandonment forced Detroit residents to revive commons practices of barter and mutual care

Evidence

But this is not the whole story, not by a long shot. As a result of being forced into these dire circumstances many residents of Detroit have turned to each other for help, developing important relationships of mutuality and care that can be understood as a revitalization of the Detroit commons (Martusewicz, 2009; Bowers & Martusewicz, 2006) and a turn toward simple subsistence activities as a means of survival and general wellbeing. While this story is really more about forced subsistence than actual intentional resistance to the effects of industrialization and a globalized economy, it is no less powerful. Remember what we said in the above section about the commons being those shared relationships and activities that do not require money but often lead to important caretaking. Some of the most important aspects of the Detroit revitalization effort include informal bartering—work for work where someone offers to roof his neighbor’s house in exchange for the repair of a car for example, or one woman cares for her neighbor’s children one day so that her own children will be cared for the next. Elder care by neighbors is another important example of a commons practice being enacted among neighbors. — Rebecca A. Martusewicz, Jeff Edmundson, and John Lupinacci, EcoJustice Education, 1479

Categorization

• XREF: Instantiates the reader’s chapter-1 note that people still sustain cultural commons daily despite hyper-consumer society — here shown under forced rather than chosen conditions. — connects to: The commons concept names shared practices protecting seeds, water, forests, and soil worldwide. — Rebecca A. Martusewicz, Jeff Edmundson, and John Lupinacci, EcoJustice Education: Toward Diverse,…, 1359; White flight, redlining, and factory relocation created Detroit’s brownfield-laden food desert — Rebecca A. Martusewicz, Jeff Edmundson, and John Lupinacci, EcoJustice Education: Toward Diverse,…, 1477; Surviving commons shift from economic to social and symbolic resources over time. — Emil Sandström and Ann-Kristin Ekman and Karl-Johan Lindholm, Commoning in the periphery – The role…, 13 (+1 more)

Broader Connections

• Surviving commons shift from economic to social and symbolic resources over time. #expands (0.80) — Emil Sandström and Ann-Kristin Ekman and Karl-Johan Lindholm, Commoning in the periphery – The role…, 13
• Commons persist through symbolic meaning even after losing economic purpose. #qualifies (0.75) — Emil Sandström and Ann-Kristin Ekman and Karl-Johan Lindholm, Commoning in the periphery – The role…, 75