Simonet, Maud
Commons for, Commons against Capital
- 2025.
76
In this interview, Maud Simonet examines the complex relationships between certain “commons” or collective goods and the logics of commodification characteristic of contemporary capitalism. Drawing on the sociology of associative labor, she shows how spaces praised for their inclusivity and lack of financial interest can nonetheless resemble the economic organization of private enterprises and the social relations they involve. Based on extensive fieldwork, whether regarding the lawsuit of Huffington Post bloggers or volunteer engagement during the 2024 Paris Olympic Games, and in dialogue with other studies such as those on the digital economy, she argues that the “commons” should not be considered inherently separate from capitalist organization, but rather as embedded in a relationship of “entanglement” and “hybridization” with it. At the same time, this analysis does not imply a systematic co-optation of the commons by capitalism; it highlights that the commons can also unfold within the framework of collective struggles.