Silke Helfrich

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

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.

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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