Wikipedia

Silke Helfrich

Silke Helfrich (1967 – 2021) was a German author, activist and scholar, best known for her contributions to the commons as a socio-political paradigm.[1] Along with her frequent coauthor David Bollier, she was considered one of the most important international voices on the commons.[2][3][4] She was regional director for Latin America at the Heinrich Böll Foundation, the think tank of the German Green Party.

Silke Helfrich
Born1967
Thuringia, Germany
DiedNovember, 2021
Alps
EducationLeipzig University
Occupation(s)Writer, activist, scholar
OrganizationHeinrich Boll Foundation
Known forCommons
Websitecommons.blog

Education and career edit

She was born in 1967,[4] in a small village in the Thuringian part of the Rhoen Mountains.[5] She studied romance languages and pedagogy at the Leipzig University,[6] which enabled her to speak 6 languages.[4] After some time in development politics, she joined the Heinrich Böll Foundation, the think tank foundation of the German Green Party. First she was its CEO for Thuringia until 1999,[5] and later regional director for Latin America until 2007.[7] During this time, she focused on globalization, gender and human rights topics.[6][8] Later she would acknowledge how her 8 years living in Latin America made her interested in the commons.[9]

Since 2007 she worked as an independent author, activist and scholar, with a diversity of international partners. In this time, she authored multiple books on the commons, both in English[10] and German.[11] She was friend of Nobel laureate Elinor Ostrom, and translated her works to German.[4][12][13] And she was regular co-author of commons scholar David Bollier.[14] Her last book[15] where she defines patterns of commoning following the work of Christopher Alexander,[16] was translated to German,[17] Spanish,[18] French,[19] and Greek.[20] Her books have received ample praise,[21] e.g. "thinking the better world of tomorrow",[22] "a new paradigm for the organization of public and private life".[23] "Silke Helfrich has achieved a true masterpiece with the work",[24] "a truly exciting glimpse into what the world after this one might look like".[25]

During this time, she regularly engaged with academics, practitioners and policy-makers, especially those related to the Green Party.[26] She was part of the board of multiple research projects, on P2P technologies,[27][28] ecology,[29][5] or as part of the International Association for the Study of the Commons.[30]

Activism and social engagement edit

Helfrich participated in and co-founded multiple commons-related initiatives. She created her Commons Blog in 2007,[31] writing regularly since then on the topic. From there, she argued in favor of commons as a process, "commoning"[32] as a new narrative,[33][34] and supported commons-oriented initiatives worldwide and in multiple languages.[35][36] Later she would relate her "commoning" with the "buen vivir" concept (originally sumak kawsay) from modern Latin American socialism,[37] the Venezuelan co-operative Cecosesola,[38][39] or the Transition Towns movement[40]

She co-founded the Commons Strategies Group along with David Bollier and Michel Bauwens,[4] although the latter left it in 2018.[41] As part of this group, she coauthored reports for the Institute for Advanced Sustainability Studies,[42] and especially reports estemming from international commons conferences and workshops in Berlin,[43][44][45] Lehnin,[46] and Blankensee.[47]

From 2008 to 2013, Helfrich co-organized an interdisciplinary political salon called “Time for the Commons” at the Heinrich Böll Foundation.[9][48] And from 2012 until 2021, she co-organized annual commons summer schools[49] for people to "co-creatively experience commoning and internalize it", and they have continued since her passing.[49]

In her native Germany, she co-founded the Commons Institute,[50] the Network for Economic Transformation,[51] and she is acknowledged as instigator for the creation of the Fuchsmühlen network in Werra-Meißner,[52] and the German Open Source Seeds initiative.[53] She is also referenced as convener of the Argentinian Fundación Vía Libre.[54]

Death edit

Helfrich was a frequent hiker, and while hiking in the Liechtenstein Alps on 10 November, 2021 she suffered a fatal accident.[55][5] A long list of institutions[56] published obituaries then, including e.g. Dutch Casco Art Institute,[57] the Heinrich Böll Foundation,[5] and its South African branch,[2] the Commons Network,[3] the Argentinian Fundación Vía Libre[54] or the German newspaper Die Tageszeitung.[4] The Commons Institute plans to establish a foundation in her name.[58][59] She was mother of two adult children.[4]

Selected works edit

  • Bollier, David; Helfrich, Silke (2019). Free, fair, and alive: the insurgent power of the Commons. Gabriola Island: New Society Publishers. ISBN 978-0-86571-921-7.
  • Bollier, David; Helfrich, Silke; Commons Strategies Group, eds. (2015). Patterns of commoning. Amherst/Mass: CSG - Commons Strategies Group. ISBN 978-1-937146-83-2.
  • Bollier, David; Helfrich, Silke; Commons Strategies Group, eds. (2012). The wealth of the commons: a world beyond market and state. Amherst, Mass: Levellers Press. ISBN 978-1-937146-14-6.
  • Ostrom, Elinor; Helfrich, Silke (2012). Was mehr wird, wenn wir teilen: vom gesellschaftlichen Wert der Gemeingüter [What becomes more when we share. On the social value of the commons] (in German) (2. Auflage ed.). München: oekom verlag. ISBN 978-3-86581-251-3.
  • Ostrom, Elinor (2009). Helfrich, Silke (ed.). Wem gehört die Welt? zur Wiederentdeckung der Gemeingüter [Who Owns the World? The Rediscovery of the Commons] (in German). Heinrich-Böll-Stiftung (2. Auflage ed.). München: Oekom-Verl., Ges. für Ökologische Kommunikation. ISBN 978-3-86581-133-2.

See also edit

References edit

  1. ^ www.oekom.de, oekom-Gesellschaft für ökologische Kommunikation mit beschränkter Haftung-. "Was mehr wird, wenn wir teilen | oekom verlag". www.oekom.de (in German). Retrieved 2024-04-05.
  2. ^ a b "Farewell Commoning Fellow - Silke Helfrich | Heinrich Böll Stiftung | Cape Town. South Africa | Namibia | Zimbabwe". za.boell.org. Retrieved 2024-04-12.
  3. ^ a b "Remembering Silke Helfrich". Retrieved 2024-04-12.
  4. ^ a b c d e f g Jensen, Annette (2021-11-17). "Theoretikerin Silke Helfrich ist tot: Immer auf unbekanntem Terrain". Die Tageszeitung: taz (in German). ISSN 0931-9085. Retrieved 2024-04-12.
  5. ^ a b c d e "Free, fair and alive | Heinrich Böll Stiftung". www.boell.de. Retrieved 2024-04-12.
  6. ^ a b "Who We Are". Commons Strategies Group. Retrieved 2024-04-05.
  7. ^ "Vale Silke Helfrich, 1967 – 2021 | Community Economies". www.communityeconomies.org. Retrieved 2024-04-12.
  8. ^ Helfrich, Silke (2001). Terremoto social en El Salvador [Social earthquake in El Salvador] (in Spanish). El Salvador: Heinrich Böll Foundation.
  9. ^ a b Poynder, Richard (2010-10-04). "Open and Shut?: Silke Helfrich on the commons and the upcoming International Commons Conference". Open and Shut?. Retrieved 2024-04-12.
  10. ^ Bollier, David; Helfrich, Silke; Commons Strategies Group, eds. (2015). Patterns of commoning. Amherst/Mass: CSG - Commons Strategies Group. ISBN 978-1-937146-83-2.
  11. ^ Ostrom, Elinor (2009). Helfrich, Silke (ed.). Wem gehört die Welt? zur Wiederentdeckung der Gemeingüter. Heinrich-Böll-Stiftung (2. Auflage ed.). München: Oekom-Verl., Ges. für Ökologische Kommunikation. ISBN 978-3-86581-133-2.
  12. ^ Ostrom, Elinor; Helfrich, Silke (2012). Was mehr wird, wenn wir teilen: vom gesellschaftlichen Wert der Gemeingüter (2. Auflage ed.). München: oekom verlag. ISBN 978-3-86581-251-3.
  13. ^ Ostrom, Elinor (2009). Helfrich, Silke (ed.). Wem gehört die Welt? zur Wiederentdeckung der Gemeingüter. Heinrich-Böll-Stiftung (2. Auflage ed.). München: Oekom-Verl., Ges. für Ökologische Kommunikation. ISBN 978-3-86581-133-2.
  14. ^ "In Remembrance of My Dear Friend Silke Helfrich, 1967-2021 | David Bollier". www.bollier.org. Retrieved 2024-04-12.
  15. ^ Bollier, David; Helfrich, Silke (2019). Free, fair, and alive: the insurgent power of the commons. Gabriola Island, BC: New Society Publishers. ISBN 978-0-86571-921-7. OCLC 1083715529.
  16. ^ "Silke Helfrich blockchain technologies part of the commons". P2P Models. 2020-09-16. Retrieved 2024-04-12.
  17. ^ Helfrich, Silke; Bollier, David (2019). Frei, fair und lebendig - die Macht der Commons. Sozialtheorie. Bielefeld: transcript. ISBN 978-3-8376-4530-9.
  18. ^ Bollier, David; Helfrich, Silke (2020). Libres, dignos, vivos: el poder subversivo de los comunes (Primera edición ed.). Barcelona: Icaria editorial. ISBN 978-84-9888-980-2.
  19. ^ Bollier, David; Heinrich, Silke; Petitjean, Olivier (2022). Le pouvoir subversif des communs. DD. Paris: Éditions Charles Léopold Mayer. ISBN 978-2-84377-231-3.
  20. ^ "Διαβασέ το!". Free, Fair and Alive. The insurgent power of the Commons (in Greek). Retrieved 2024-04-12.
  21. ^ "Bücher". CommonsBlog (in German). 2008-08-18. Retrieved 2024-04-12.
  22. ^ Jensen, Annette (2019-05-11). "Kann man auch anders machen". Die Tageszeitung: taz (in German). p. 15. ISSN 0931-9085. Retrieved 2024-04-12.
  23. ^ Shaw, Mae (2014). "Learning from The Wealth of the Commons: a review essay". Community Development Journal. 49: i12–i20. ISSN 0010-3802.
  24. ^ "Commons | transcript.open - Open Access Co-Publishing Network". www.transcript-open.de. Retrieved 2024-04-12.
  25. ^ Administrator, David Bollier. ""Free, Fair and Alive" is Now Published!". Free, Fair and Alive. The insurgent power of the Commons. Retrieved 2024-04-12.
  26. ^ Bauwens, Michel (2010-05-11). "Portrait of a commoner: Silke Helfrich". P2P Foundation. Retrieved 2024-04-12.
  27. ^ "Stakeholder board | P2Pvalue blog". web.archive.org. 2022-12-05. Retrieved 2024-04-12.
  28. ^ "About". P2P Models. Retrieved 2024-04-12.
  29. ^ "EcoFair Trade Dialogue | Heinrich Böll Stiftung". www.boell.de. Retrieved 2024-04-12.
  30. ^ "Honoring the life of Silke Helfrich – IASC Europe & CIS". europe.iasc-commons.org. Retrieved 2024-04-12.
  31. ^ "CommonsBlog". web.archive.org. 2007-11-01. Retrieved 2024-04-05.
  32. ^ Read, ••5 Min (2017-04-17). "Silke Helfrich on the Commons as a Way of Working and Living Together". Enlivening Edge. Retrieved 2024-04-12.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  33. ^ Helfrich, Silke (2009-10-01). "The Commons as a new narrative for the 21 century". CommonsBlog (in German). Retrieved 2024-04-05.
  34. ^ Schneidewind, Uwe; Santarius, Tilman; Humburg, Anja, eds. (2013). Economy of sufficiency: essays on wealth in diversity, enjoyable limits and creating commons. Wuppertal spezial / Wuppertal Institut für Klima, Umwelt und Energie GmbH im Wissenschaftszentrum Nordrhein-Westfalen. Wuppertal: Wuppertal Inst. for Climate, Environment and Energy. ISBN 978-3-929944-92-1.
  35. ^ Helfrich, Silke (2009-12-23). "Fortalecer los bienes comunes. ¡Ahora!". CommonsBlog (in German). Retrieved 2024-04-05.
  36. ^ "Lesestoff". CommonsBlog (in German). 2007-10-17. Retrieved 2024-04-05.
  37. ^ Group, The Commons Strategy (2013-05-07). "El Buen Vivir and the Commons". Shareable. Retrieved 2024-04-12.
  38. ^ Impulso, El (2016-10-13). "▷ Cecosesola es ejemplo de la filosofía de Los Comunes". El Impulso (in Spanish). Retrieved 2024-04-12.
  39. ^ "Silke Helfrich – Cecosesola" (in Spanish). Retrieved 2024-04-12.
  40. ^ Hopkins, Rob. "An interview with Silke Helfrich: "We have to reformulate the role of the state as enabler of the commons" » Transition Culture". Retrieved 2024-04-12.
  41. ^ "Who We Are". Commons Strategies Group. Retrieved 2024-04-12.
  42. ^ Walsh, Zack; Commons Strategy Group (2020). Ontology as a Hidden Driver of Politics and Policy: Commoning and Relational Approaches to Governance (PDF). Institute for Advanced Sustainability Studies.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: date and year (link)
  43. ^ Commons Strategy Group (2013). Economics and the Common(s): From Seed Form to Core Paradigm (PDF). Berlin, Germany: Heinrich Böll Foundation.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: date and year (link)
  44. ^ Commons Strategy Group (2015). Democratic Money and Capital for the Commons: Strategies for Transforming Neoliberal Finance Through Commons-Based Alternatives (PDF). Heinrich Böll Foundation.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: date and year (link)
  45. ^ Commons Strategies Group (2014). Toward an Open Co-operativism: A New Social Economy Based on Open Platforms, Co-operative Models and the Commons (PDF). Heinrich Böll Foundation.
  46. ^ Commons Strategy Group (2016). State Power and Commoning: Trascending a Problematic Relationship (PDF). Heinrich Böll Foundation.
  47. ^ Commons Strategy Group (2016). Re-imagining Value: Insights from the Care Economy, Commons, Cyberspace and Nature (PDF). Heinrich Böll Foundation.
  48. ^ "Allmendesalon". CommonsBlog (in German). 2008-04-01. Retrieved 2024-04-12.
  49. ^ a b angela (2022-09-01). "Die Commons-Sommerschule - Kategorie: Bildung". Was wir tun können (in German). Retrieved 2024-04-05.
  50. ^ "Say goodbye and stay connected – Commons-Institut" (in German). 2021-11-16. Retrieved 2024-04-05.
  51. ^ "Abschied von Silke Helfrich – NOW – Netzwerk Oekonomischer Wandel" (in German). Retrieved 2024-04-12.
  52. ^ "Commoning – Fuchsmühle" (in German). Retrieved 2024-04-05.
  53. ^ "Nachruf auf Silke Helfrich" [Obituary of Silke Helfrich]. 22 Nov 2021.
  54. ^ a b bea (2021-11-16). "En memoria de nuestra querida amiga Silke Helfrich". FUNDACIÓN VÍA LIBRE (in Spanish). Retrieved 2024-04-12.
  55. ^ "Wir nehmen Abschied... — CIPRA (d)". www.cipra.org. Retrieved 2024-04-12.
  56. ^ "Würdigungen, Nachrufe und Erinnerungen – Commons-Institut" (in German). 2021-11-16. Retrieved 2024-04-12.
  57. ^ "Remembering Silke Helfrich". Casco Art Institute. 2021. Retrieved 12 Apr 2024.
  58. ^ "Abschied nehmen und in Verbindung bleiben – Commons-Institut" (in German). 2021-11-16. Retrieved 2024-04-12.
  59. ^ "Nachruf Silke Helfrich :: Netzwerk Solidarische Landwirtschaft". www.solidarische-landwirtschaft.org. Retrieved 2024-04-12.

External links edit

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