Networks of life overflowing. Rationale for the change from the daily life

Living networks always exist, but not all of them are overflowing. Networks, networks, and links are in the ecosystems of nature and of human societies. There are contradictions in their basic interactions that produce sometimes overflows, breaks/changes of the current systems, transformations that open up new paths, both in nature and in the social processes human. For our “webs of life” are filled to the brim it seems to us that the ideologies of departure less influence that the methodologies, and in this discussion of fundamentals, we want to enter in these pages. Above all ideologies more closed and not contrasting with the practice, are obstacles to drive the changes that are needed social processes and their effects in nature also.

(p. 17)

The indignant movements and protests around the world show a shared desire to find solutions to four crises: economic, ecological, political, and intercultural. The new experiences have managed to excite and convey that it is possible to overflow the mold set by the ideologies, of the dominant values and traditional politics; but to make further progress it is necessary to go adding learnings from the previous experiences. And it is that persist the dilemmas imposed by the system —left or right, reform or revolution, political party, yes or no…—, and it still has not learned how to overcome the sectarianism or the desire of ownership. Why the inability for a social transformation so evident and so claimed? What are the conditions for change?

Tomás R. Villasante poses in this book some of the key questions and offers proposals that have been finding from the sciences and the many experiences in which he has participated. Proposes to take advantage of the transformative power of our relationships and networks of everyday life, and to this end sets out a series of practical steps that, from the initiatives of groups of motors” antisectarios, they carry out actions that invite you to be actively involved in the pro-common. Experience shows us that already exist —and they work— many initiatives emerging that, despite not being so visible, are cracking the foundations of the system and building alternatives from below.

Buy Book

Presentation of the book “Networks of life overflowing” (28/05/2014)

Brief review about the author

Redes de vida desbordantes. Fundamentos para el cambio desde la vida cotidiana

Tomás Rodríguez Villasante comes from social and environmental movements of the 70s and 80s. Since then he is living in a house with alternative energies and trying to apply initiatives pro-common to everyday life. He has been the director and professor of several Masters on participatory methodologies in national and foreign universities. He has published a dozen books on social movements, urbanism, ecology, methodologies, and democracies are participatory. Since 15 years ago, as a co-founder of the TOPS (International Observatory for citizenship and environmental sustainability) has supported various projects with participation of society in Andalusia, the Canary islands, Madrid, etc, and also in Chile, Uruguay, Brazil, Peru, Ecuador, Colombia, Venezuela, and Mexico. Since 2011 collaborates with the alternative movements that have emerged in various cities and in various countries.

Other titles by the author in Cataract:

Creative bursts. Styles and strategies for social transformation
Memory citizen movement and neighborhood. Madrid, 1968-2008 (As co-author)