Reclaiming the Commons for the Common Good

September 28, 2015
Tackling issues ranging from 18th-century enclosures to modern ecoliteracy, Order of Canada recipient Menzies (Whose Brave New World?) seeks to critique the rapid pace of technological and economic expansion and inspire change in how people live and interact, but her work ultimately falls short of its lofty goals. Having previously described the negative consequences of market globalization, Menzies here attempts to provide an alternative to the profit-driven market economy. Structured as a memoir and manifesto, Menzies's book is personal, political, and spiritual, as she begins with an emotional journey to the Scottish Highlands, the homeland of her ancestors. Menzies learns how Scottish farmers once lived in common, meaning they shared part of their holdings, worked together for the betterment of all, and were spiritually connected to their community and land. The book argues that the values of the commons can exist in modern society and concludes by outlining various actions, ranging from gardening to purchasing fair trade products, that can revive the "commons way of life." Menzies effectively outlines contemporary problems, but her romantic understanding of the past, which ignores the harsh realities of life in pre-modern Scotland, and her worldview, which may seem too idealistic to many readers, limit the credibility of her solution.