Michel Bauwens
Encyclopedia
Michel Bauwens is a Belgian
Peer-to-Peer theorist and an active writer, researcher and conference speaker on the subject of technology, culture and business innovation.
, knowledge manager for British Petroleum (where he created one of the first virtual information centers), eBusiness Strategy Manager for Belgacom, as well as an internet entrepreneur in his home country of Belgium.
He is a former editor-in-chief of the first European digital convergence magazine, the Dutch language
Wave.
With Frank Theys, Bauwens is the co-creator of a 3 hour documentary TechnoCalyps, an examination of the 'metaphysics of technology'. He taught and, with Salvino Salvaggio, co-edited a two-volume French language
anthologies on the Anthropology of Digital Society.
He has taught courses on the anthropology of digital society to postgraduate students at ICHEC/St. Louis in Brussels
, Belgium
and related courses at Payap University
and Chiang Mai University
in Thailand.
Bauwens is the author of a number of on-line essays, including the seminal thesis Peer to Peer and Human Evolution, and The Political Economy of Peer Production. He was also editor of the email Pluralities-Integration newsletter (until 2007, when it ceased production).
In 2008 he was external expert at the Pontifical Academy of Social Sciences
.
He is currently Primavera Research Fellow at the University of Amsterdam.
Bauwens currently lives in Chiang Mai
, Thailand
. In February 2009, he joined Dhurakij Pundit University
's International College as Lecturer, assisting with the development of the Asian Foresight Institute.
He is one of the founders and primary activists of the P2P Foundation
.
This idea is explored also in the essay "Peer to Peer and Human Evolution" that expands the P2P meme
beyond computer technology. It argues that egalitarian networking
is a new form of relationship that is emerging throughout society
, and profoundly transforming the way in which society and human civilization is organised. The essay argues that this new form of non-representational democracy is a crucial ingredient in finding the solutions to current global challenges; as well as a new and progressive ethos representing the highest aspirations of the new generations.
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
Peer-to-Peer theorist and an active writer, researcher and conference speaker on the subject of technology, culture and business innovation.
Biography
Bauwens is founder of the Foundation for Peer-to-Peer Alternatives and works in collaboration with a global group of researchers in the exploration of peer production, governance, and property. He has been an analyst for the United States Information AgencyUnited States Information Agency
The United States Information Agency , which existed from 1953 to 1999, was a United States agency devoted to "public diplomacy". In 1999, USIA's broadcasting functions were moved to the newly created Broadcasting Board of Governors, and its exchange and non-broadcasting information functions were...
, knowledge manager for British Petroleum (where he created one of the first virtual information centers), eBusiness Strategy Manager for Belgacom, as well as an internet entrepreneur in his home country of Belgium.
He is a former editor-in-chief of the first European digital convergence magazine, the Dutch language
Dutch language
Dutch is a West Germanic language and the native language of the majority of the population of the Netherlands, Belgium, and Suriname, the three member states of the Dutch Language Union. Most speakers live in the European Union, where it is a first language for about 23 million and a second...
Wave.
With Frank Theys, Bauwens is the co-creator of a 3 hour documentary TechnoCalyps, an examination of the 'metaphysics of technology'. He taught and, with Salvino Salvaggio, co-edited a two-volume French language
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
anthologies on the Anthropology of Digital Society.
He has taught courses on the anthropology of digital society to postgraduate students at ICHEC/St. Louis in Brussels
Brussels
Brussels , officially the Brussels Region or Brussels-Capital Region , is the capital of Belgium and the de facto capital of the European Union...
, Belgium
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
and related courses at Payap University
Payap University
Payap University established in 1974, is a private institution founded by the Church of Christ in Thailand. Payap is a founding member of the Association of Private Higher Education Institutions in Thailand, and an active member of the Association of Christian Universities and Colleges in Asia, as...
and Chiang Mai University
Chiang Mai University
Chiang Mai University is a public research university in northern Thailand founded in 1964 with a strong emphasis on engineering, science, and agriculture. Its instructional mission includes undergraduate, graduate, professional and continuing education offered through resident instruction...
in Thailand.
Bauwens is the author of a number of on-line essays, including the seminal thesis Peer to Peer and Human Evolution, and The Political Economy of Peer Production. He was also editor of the email Pluralities-Integration newsletter (until 2007, when it ceased production).
In 2008 he was external expert at the Pontifical Academy of Social Sciences
Pontifical Academy of Social Sciences
The Pontifical Academy of Social Sciences was established in January 1994 by Pope John Paul II. It is headquartered in the Casina Pio IV in the Vatican. Professor Edmond Malinvaud was its first president...
.
He is currently Primavera Research Fellow at the University of Amsterdam.
Bauwens currently lives in Chiang Mai
Chiang Mai
Chiang Mai sometimes written as "Chiengmai" or "Chiangmai", is the largest and most culturally significant city in northern Thailand. It is the capital of Chiang Mai Province , a former capital of the Kingdom of Lanna and was the tributary Kingdom of Chiang Mai from 1774 until 1939. It is...
, Thailand
Thailand
Thailand , officially the Kingdom of Thailand , formerly known as Siam , is a country located at the centre of the Indochina peninsula and Southeast Asia. It is bordered to the north by Burma and Laos, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the...
. In February 2009, he joined Dhurakij Pundit University
Dhurakij Pundit University
Dhurakij Pundit University is a university located in Bangkok, Thailand. Founded as Dhurakij Pundit College in 1968, and upgraded to a university status in 1984, it is one of the larger Thai private universities...
's International College as Lecturer, assisting with the development of the Asian Foresight Institute.
He is one of the founders and primary activists of the P2P Foundation
P2P Foundation
P2P Foundation: The Foundation for Peer to Peer Alternatives is an organization with the aim of studying the impact of peer to peer technology and thought on society.It was founded by Michel Bauwens and coordinated by Franco Iacomella....
.
P2P Theory
In The Political Economy of Peer Production Bauwens regards p2p phenomena as an emerging alternative to capitalist society, although he argues that "Peer production is highly dependent on the market for peer production produces use-value through mostly immaterial production, without directly providing an income for its producers." However, Bauwens goes on to argue that the interdependence is mutual: the capitalist system and market economies are also dependent on p2p production, particularly on distributed networks of information processing and production. Consequently, p2p economy may be seen as extending or already existing outside the sphere of free/open source software production and other non-rival immaterial goods.This idea is explored also in the essay "Peer to Peer and Human Evolution" that expands the P2P meme
Meme
A meme is "an idea, behaviour or style that spreads from person to person within a culture."A meme acts as a unit for carrying cultural ideas, symbols or practices, which can be transmitted from one mind to another through writing, speech, gestures, rituals or other imitable phenomena...
beyond computer technology. It argues that egalitarian networking
Social network
A social network is a social structure made up of individuals called "nodes", which are tied by one or more specific types of interdependency, such as friendship, kinship, common interest, financial exchange, dislike, sexual relationships, or relationships of beliefs, knowledge or prestige.Social...
is a new form of relationship that is emerging throughout society
Society
A society, or a human society, is a group of people related to each other through persistent relations, or a large social grouping sharing the same geographical or virtual territory, subject to the same political authority and dominant cultural expectations...
, and profoundly transforming the way in which society and human civilization is organised. The essay argues that this new form of non-representational democracy is a crucial ingredient in finding the solutions to current global challenges; as well as a new and progressive ethos representing the highest aspirations of the new generations.
Essays
- Peer-to-Peer Relationality, Barcelona Metropolis, 2010.
External links
- P2P Theory foundational essay
- The Foundation for P2P Alternatives (wikiWikiA wiki is a website that allows the creation and editing of any number of interlinked web pages via a web browser using a simplified markup language or a WYSIWYG text editor. Wikis are typically powered by wiki software and are often used collaboratively by multiple users. Examples include...
) - Summary essay on P2P Theory
- P2P: A blueprint for the future? - interviewed by Richard Poynder
- Michel Bauwens on What is P2P?" on Google VideoGoogle VideoGoogle Videos is a video search engine, and formerly a free video sharing website, from Google Inc. Before removing user-uploaded content, the service allowed selected videos to be remotely embedded on other websites and provided the necessary HTML code alongside the media, similar to YouTube...
- Interview with Michel Bauwens at the University of Oslo (2008)