[P2P-F] Nondominium

[Michel Bauwens]

Very interesting Tadit,

would you have any bibliography on these merchant network nations?

see also
http://blog.p2pfoundation.net/were-the-medieval-maghrebi-traders-p2p-pioneers/2009/08/02

Michel

On Sat, Sep 24, 2011 at 6:55 PM, <ideasinc at ee.net> wrote:

> Regarding non-dominium, I mentioned once before the early establishment of
> various network nations at least in the early history of the Mediterranean
> et al. The same dynamic appears to have existed in the Indian Ocean region
> at least through the European Dark/medieval Ages and probably earlier. The
> Phoceans and the Phoenicians were both merchant network nations who
> established both home ports usually on islands. This pattern has been
> covered over by the framing of the development of the immediate region and
> beyond as "Greater Greece." There has been a severe distortion of the
> history confusing the later concept of territorial sovereignty with the
> process as it seemed to occur. Both Phoceans and the Phoenicians seemed to
> have originated our the Black Sea area as goddess or god/goddess cultures,
> What became identified as the Greek alphabet, was more likely the product
> of the needs of their mercantile basis for communication and record
> keeping.
>
> The nominal Grecian/Persian wars was caused by the clashes between the
> Mycenaean Greek/palatial economy which operated in a gift/tribute economy
> and was based upon land ownership and slavery. This sort of gift economy
> was less than benign, and was essentially oligarchic/feudal. The response
> of that culture to the merchant networks cast the merchants as thieves
> diverting wealth from its accumulative patterns. The Persian empire of
> Cyrus and thereafter seems to have been more about controlling and
> protecting the Silk Road against bandits, for which the merchants were
> quite willing to pay taxes. The navies of Samos and Lesbos were
> extraordinarily large for small island city states except that they most
> likely operated as escorts to the merchant traffic and may well have been
> more directly offshoots of the merchant network nations. the attack by
> Persia upon the Mycenaean/Palatial Greeks was punitive and based upon the
> economics. The wide variety of allies involved in that punitive attack
> speak to its representation of a wide field of interests, see Herodotus's
> narrative. The Macedons were allies to the Persian Empire to such a degree
> that as the Persian Empire faded, Alexander and the Macedons were prepared
> to takeover and conduct that "empire" on a very similar basis. Describing
> Alexander as "Greek" seems to be another conflation by the Mycenaean
> Greeks, and their Eurocentric acolytes thereafter.
>
> The Persian Empire was the primary stimulus to the cultural ascendancy of
> the Greater "Greek" and Ionian "Greek" cultures. Merchants after all and
> particularly in these examples brought ideas as well as goods to the
> scattered populations.
>
> The Dhow cultures of the Indian Ocean represent another open
> seas/non-dominium sort of process. China's recent economic development
> seems to embrace this dynamic in part through recognition of the legacy of
> the mercantile history of the Han Dynasty. At this point PR China seems to
> be less about sovereign territory and projecting the threat of direct
> occupation, and more about setting up the infrastructure to facilitate
> global trade. The current domination of the commons by imperial militarism
> seems to repeat this conflict. The imperial cultures seem to have great
> difficulty operating outside of the bounds of threat and control. The
> creole-ization by language and by trade in this region has a long history.
>
> simplistic labeling tends to distort the details of history. I am not
> quite to the point of putting together a more formal article on all of
> this. The Hanseatic league is similar example in its origin, though it
> seemed to redefine itself as a military force in response to operating
> against territorial. The effect of the Papal declaration of terra nullius
> was little more than another piece of cultural narcissism.
>
> The virtual organization seems to be a more modern application of the same
> sort of dynamic.
>
> for now, Tadit
>
>
>
>
> On Sat, 24 Sep 2011 04:28:26 -0400, Michel Bauwens
> <michel at p2pfoundation.net> wrote:
>
> > thanks Chris, I really need you to write something on stewardship ... or
> > point me to some good article on this by someone else?
> >
> > Michel
> >
> > On Sat, Sep 24, 2011 at 12:21 AM, Chris Cook
> > <cjenscook at googlemail.com>wrote:
> >
> >> Hi Michel
> >>
> >> I hope your travels are productive.
> >>
> >> You'll find this concept - Nondominium - relevant in respect of the
> >> Commons
> >>
> >> http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Global_Economy/MI24Dj01.html
> >>
> >> You'll see, once again, my view that custody/stewardship is
> >> preferential to
> >> Trusts, which I reckon were probably invented BY lawyers FOR lawyers ;-)
> >>
> >> Best Regards
> >>
> >> Chris
> >>
> >
> >
>
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