Arturo Escobar

This workshop is mainly oriented to alternative collective projects by social organizations and activist groups seeking to enhance the autonomy of their communicational processes within and among the networks of which they are part. The proposed approach combines theoretical-political reflection on autonomy, pluriversal transitions, and ontological politics, on the one hand, with a practical approach centered on the design of autonomous communication processes anchored on ?convivial tools?. The workshop will focus on a series of specific problems that unfold in the field of communication when approached from an autonomous perspective. In the initial part, a series of readings and bibliographical materials will be provided, from anthropological and other theoretic-political perspectives, enabling a process that goes beyond merely practical or technocratic approaches. The second part focuses on the practical dimensions, and it will develop in two ways: [a] the provision of digital tools for alternative grassroots approaches, adapted to a convivial perspective (based on technologies provided by the hacker movement, free software, open-source, non-corporate protocols and open standards); [b] dialogue, exchange, and reflection among the participating groups and with other projects/groups with substantial experience on the tools in question, to be specially invited to the conversation for this purpose.