In But Not Of

Mapping how "commons" can exist both outside and inside the structures of cultural production

Working within cultural institutions creates a core tension: how can an individual stay independent while trying to change the very systems they are a part of? Through essays, real-world examples and fiction, cultural organizers, writers and artists from different fields and places tackle this tension head-on. In But Not Of goes beyond the usual critiques of institutions, connecting cultural commoning to wider histories of social struggle―from the privatization of common land in Britain to the destruction of Palestinian shared farming systems under colonial rule. How do collectives survive budget cuts and political crackdowns? How do Indigenous ways of knowing challenge institutional ideas about sharing and care? Instead of just talking about autonomy, this collection pushes for real strategies. It gives cultural organizers a crucial framework for navigating conflicting values―especially now, when the same institutions can fund both anticolonial art and genocide.