Speaker
Description
Collective domains embody the self-determination of local communities, sustaining subsistence economies integral to agrosilvopastoral systems and the governance of mountain land. Historically situated between formal and informal institutions, they have preserved socio-ecological balance in fragile yet resource-rich areas. While they are typical institutions all over the Mediterranean and particularly in the European South, the Italian case stands out for the remaking of such collective domains through the institutionalization of collective governance models. IN fact, the enactment of Law 168/2017 granted these entities legal autonomy, self-determination, and recognition as key ecological actors, transitioning them from public law frameworks to integration within the Third Sector. This reorganization strengthens their role as social infrastructures, ensuring local habitability and resilience.
This study focuses on the post-disaster phase after the L’Aquila earthquake in 2009 and specifically looking ad the Collective Domain of Arischia, a village in L’Aquila associated with the Gran Sasso e Monti della Laga National Park, and its historical and ongoing struggle to reclaim and manage the Chiarino Valley. This case highlights the tension between traditional practices and modern challenges in maintaining collective resources. Arischia’s residents have managed the 1,800-hectare forest and pastureland of the Chiarino Valley since 1923, following a century-long fight against aristocratic exploitation. Despite industrialization and migration pressures, the community has sustained its ties to the land, fostering a legacy of innovation and resource stewardship, such as producing smoke-free beech oil and interlocking wooden boxes.
Arischia’s Separate Administration of Civic Use Assets (ADUC) governs the forest’s ecological assets, rents, and dam-related funds, reinvesting in community development projects like playgrounds, shelters, and social spaces. These activities underscore its dual role in ecological preservation and social welfare. However, contemporary challenges persist, including limited resources, governance conflicts, and ecological pressures, exacerbated by its status as a mountain village on the urban periphery and its unfinished post-2009 earthquake reconstruction.
Employing methodologies such as participatory observation, archival research, counter-mapping, and in-depth interviews with ADUC and ASBUC entities in the area, this study explores how collective domains act as social infrastructures. Through localized practices like walking as method and “hanging out,” the research reveals how communities reimagine pathways rooted in their history of self-determination and environmental stewardship.
The research reconceptualizes ADUC entities as public-commons partnerships (PCPs), integral to the governance of rural commons and the reorganization of socio-ecological systems. Drawing on social ecology and libertarian municipalism, the study argues for empowering these historically decentralized institutions to adapt and connect with global movements, enhancing their capacity as drivers of ecological sustainability and community resilience. These entities can evolve into confederations of place-based, autonomous institutions promoting commoning practices and prefigurative political strategies to reshape economies and democracies in marginalized areas.
In L’Aquila, collective domains intersect with complex governance challenges posed by its dispersed city model, encompassing 470 square kilometers, 52 localities, and 25% of its territory within the National Park. Arischia, categorized as mountainous and affected by the 2009 earthquake, exemplifies these challenges. The village’s role in managing the Gran Sasso’s biodiverse resources highlights the broader potential of collective domains to redefine public ownership and social infrastructure.
Ultimately, this research advocates for reimagining collective domains not only as guardians of local ecological heritage but as active agents of socio-ecological transformation. Their historical resilience, combined with a renewed approach to governance and collaboration, could create innovative frameworks for sustainable and equitable development in remote, marginalized regions.
References
Bartels, K. P., & Friedman, V. J. (2022). Shining light on the dark side of action research: Power, relationality and transformation. Action Research, 20(2), 99-104.
Bookchin, M. (1991). Libertarian municipalism: An overview. Green Perspectives, 24, 1-6.
Milburn, K., & Russell, B. (2020). Public-common partnerships, autogestion, and the right to the city. In Capitalism and the Commons (pp. 135-150). Routledge.
Rotellini, A. (2020). Transumanza e proprietà collettive: storia dei beni demaniali delle comunità del Gran Sasso. Pacini Editore.
Tomaney, J. (2023). 2.“Left behind places “and social infrastructure. Regional Studies Policy Impact Books, 5(2), 19-35.
| Keywords | collective domains; rural commons; Italy; remote areas; land governance |
|---|---|
| Best Congress Paper Award | No |
