Publications

Link to recent books

link to Austrian Studies in Social Anthropology

link to Vienna Working Papers in Ethnography

link to Journal of New Zealand and Pacific Studies

picture with link to KSA u:cris protal

peer-reviewed publications in u:cris

Real dystopias: Over-commoning and elite capture in Austria

Author(s)
Andreas Streinzer
Abstract

This article introduces the concept of ‘over-commoning’, analyzing a process in which elites infiltrate and exploit collective resources for private gain. Based on ethnographic research in Austria, it analyses recent corruption cases and political scandals, focusing on the intersection of political power and economic interests. It argues that overcommoning involves a strategic mix of collective rhetoric and legal manoeuvring to capture state resources, a process different from accumulation by dispossession. The article contextualizes these practices within Austria’s political landscape, broadening the definition of commons to highlight the complex interplay between commoning and uncommoning processes. It explores legal avenues for challenging such forms of capture and provides insights into the cynical strategies employed by hegemonic circles in Austrian society. To contrast over-commoning practices with the idealistic perspective prevalent in most contemporary anthropologies of commoning, the article employs the term ‘real dystopias’ that proposes looking at the unfinished and patchy formations of conservative, neoliberal, and right-wing politics of commoning and uncommoning. This research contributes to ongoing debates about resource management, political corruption, and the evolving nature of commons in modern societies, offering a nuanced understanding of how collective resources can be subverted for private gain.

Organisation(s)
Department of Social and Cultural Anthropology
Journal
Critique of Anthropology
Volume
45
Pages
96–107
ISSN
0308-275X
Publication date
2025
Peer reviewed
Yes
Austrian Fields of Science 2012
504008 Ethnography, 504009 Ethnology, 504017 Cultural anthropology
Portal url
https://ucrisportal.univie.ac.at/en/publications/153e65cb-9d4d-4367-a285-887ef2306ca0