Solidarity Economy Organizing

Cooperative development is the most important social change work that a person can do.

Jessica Gordon-Nembhard talks about her research into the history of African-American co-ops.

What happens when our communities are torn apart by toxic inequality, political fragmentation and declining social trust? The solution may lie in something that humans have been doing throughout our existence: taking care of each other, often without realizing it. Today that’s what some of us call the “solidarity economy.” 

Practicing Social Ecology: From Bookchin to Rojava and Beyond, from Pluto Press, offers a compelling synthesis of ethnographic research, journalism and political analysis, combining the author's field research and her own activist experiences in a highly engaging and superbly accessible manner.

Cecosesola is a remarkable federation of Venezuelan cooperatives that artfully manages multiple ventures as commons while deeply immersed within a system of capitalist markets. 

The Rede Mulheres do Maranhão (RMM) – Women’s Network of Maranhão –  is a cooperative made up of 16 solidarity enterprises, bringing together more than 200 members. Their activities include the production of sweets and honey, processing and cracking of babaçu nuts and cashew nuts, baking, vegetable and greens cultivation, and clothing manufacturing.

Remaking Money for a Sustainable Future: Money Commons by Ester Barinaga Martín was published in 2024 by Bristol University Press in its series Alternatives to Capitalism in the 21st Century. The book provides an in-depth view and thorough analysis of various money arrangements.

For a sliding scale fee, members of the cooperatively-run library have access to a catalogue of about 1,630 items that have been amassed over the past four or so years through donations.

In Venezuela’s Amazonas state, fishing has long been not just a trade but a whole way of life rooted in collaboration, knowledge sharing, and mutual aid. Now, under the US blockade, fishing has become an even more important source of food. At the same time, the cooperative way of working of traditional fisherpeople has proven useful in solving blockade-induced obstacles.

David Bollier discusses the second edition of 'Think Like a Commoner'.