Commons and Commoning Across Pastoral Systems: Rethinking collective resource management

Guest Editors:

Cara Loomis (Aarhus University)
Jill Philine Blau (Friedensau Adventist University)
Mark Moritz (The Ohio State University)
Abdul Wahid Khan (University of Leicester)

Pastoral research has for decades been shaped by theories of common property and open access. The classical commons tradition inspired by Elinor Ostrom has demonstrated how collective governance can sustain natural resources outside state or market control. Pastoralists, however, do not neatly conform to any single model. Empirically, pastoral systems range from well-bounded common property regimes to complex, polycentric, and highly flexible access arrangements legitimated by moral imperatives of hospitality and reciprocity. In times of need, a degree of open access can emerge even in pastoral systems predicated on private or common property. The theoretical toolkit derived from classical common property theory has frequently failed to capture this diversity of social, ecological, and institutional arrangements. This special issue will, therefore, welcome the submission of papers that examine the legacy of Ostrom's influence on pastoral research and development policy by engaging new theoretical perspectives.

Recent scholarship on relationships of commoning, more than human perspectives, and spiritual approaches, for example, have the potential to enrich our understanding of pastoral resource use by moving beyond traditional frameworks. At the same time, pastoralists’ practices have much to teach us about variation and adaptability that can, in turn, complicate more recent theoretical debates that have thus far taken place outside the field of pastoral studies.

We therefore welcome submissions that explore pastoralism in relation to commons, commoning, or other approaches to shared resources from an empirical, theoretical or applied perspective. Contributions may address (but are not limited to) the following questions:

• How do pastoralists understand and manage access to land, water, and grazing? What forms of collective or individual rights, obligations, and moral imperatives shape these arrangements?
• How do pastoral systems fit – or not fit – within classical commons frameworks? When do they resemble common property regimes, open property regimes, or hybrid/resource-sharing systems? Is it time to abandon typologizing about different ideal types of pastoral tenure?
• How have development, conservation, or state interventions shaped the discourses and realities of pastoral commons?
• Examine efforts by governments or development agencies to create formal, legally recognized systems of pastoral common property. What criteria might be used to assess the success of these projects?
• Examine the conceptual assumptions that underpin theories of common property and open access
• What empirical evidence challenges entrenched stereotypes, such as the tragedy narrative associated with open access grazing?
• Review the archaeological evidence that might document prehistoric pastoral systems of resource use and control
• Examine the impact of increased market exposure and/or government control on the sustainability of indigenous pastoral property regimes
• Clarify the distinction and explore overlap similarities and differences between commoning and the common property management in pastoral settings. What's new?
• What can empirical research of pastoralism teach us about commons and commoning?
• Given the diversity within pastoralism, re-examine the potential relevance of theory to practice. Should we abandon theorising for a more pragmatic approach to understanding and working with pastoralists?


This special issue calls for research that critically engages new conceptual frameworks to open up, rather than delimit, the remarkable variation of pastoral worlds. We seek to bring conversations together without imposing a single theoretical lens, definition, or normative model to create an open, comparative, and generative dialogue about pastoral resource systems.

Our list of possible paper topics is not exclusive. Contact us with your ideas if you are interested in contributing.

Scope and Types of Contributions

We welcome:


• Empirical case studies from all world regions, emphasizing the global diversity of pastoral systems
• Theoretical or conceptual papers that clarify, critique, or extend commons/commoning frameworks
• Comparative studies spanning multiple regions, species, or governance systems
• Historical or policy analyses examining how pastoral commons have been framed and re-framed
• Interdisciplinary and collaborative work combining anthropology, ecology, geography, political science, development studies, or related fields

We particularly encourage contributions from underrepresented regions and from scholars working closely with pastoral communities

Aims of the Special Issue

This special issue seeks to:

• Showcase the global variation in pastoral resource systems
• Clarify conceptual differences and overlaps between commons, commoning, open property, and other governance approaches
• Highlight pastoralism as a rich empirical and theoretical field, capable of advancing broader debates in natural resource governance
• Foster an inclusive, open-ended dialogue rather than enforcing a unified theoretical model
• Build a foundation for a future interdisciplinary network of scholars working on commons and commoning

Full papers will undergo peer review according to the standards of Pastoralism: Research, Policy and Practice.

Article types and fees

This Special Issue accepts the following article types, unless otherwise specified in the Special Issue description:

• Brief Research Report
• Commentary
• Editorial
• Original Research
• Perspective
• Review

Articles that are accepted for publication by our external editors following rigorous peer review incur a publishing fee charged to Authors, institutions, or funders.

Article types

This Special Issue accepts the following article types, unless otherwise specified in the Special Issue description:

• Brief Research Report
• Commentary
• Editorial
• Original Research
• Perspective
• Review

Keywords: Pastoralism, Commons, Pastoral Commons, Resource governance, Grazing rights, Pastoral tenure