Gould, Peter

In 2012, the book Cultural Commons: New Perspectives in the Production and Evolution of Cultures proposed to analyze tangible and intangible cultural expressions under the perspective of the commons and outlined a research agenda aimed at advancing the understanding of these shared resources, their inherent social dilemmas and related community-governance models using the Ostrom’s Workshop analytical tools. A decade later, it is necessary to critically assess whether this agenda has genuinely evolved or remains fragmented and underdeveloped across key areas of inquiry.
This contribution questions how scholars have advanced the discourse in three fundamental areas. First, how has the complexity in defining cultural resources influenced the adoption and application of the cultural commons framework across different disciplines? Second, while some of the literature has adopted a community-based governance perspective, has this approach been adequately tested and expanded empirically, or does it remain conceptually limited? Third, how have collective action and social dilemmas that challenge the sustainability of cultural resources been operationalized and empirically investigated?
To interrogate these questions, we use insights from bibliometric analysis as an instrument to map the intellectual trajectory of the field. By identifying and examining the scholarship produced over the last decade, we aim to uncover whether the original research agenda has been followed, ignored, or redefined. Preliminary results suggest that while specific themes have been explored, the field lacks cohesive theoretical and empirical development.
In conclusion, we identify areas of stagnation and potential future directions, including the need for interdisciplinary approaches and a critical rethinking of the cultural commons research agenda to address the evolving challenges of managing shared cultural resources.