Author Talk – An Uncommon Land by Catherine Knight

The author will be in-store for one night only to discuss her latest publication with Dr Paul Dalziel of Wellbeing Economy Alliance Aotearoa.

All welcome, refreshments provided. There will be books for sale on the night for $49.99.

About the book

An Uncommon Land is a story of enclosure, dispossession, colonisation and – ultimately – hope for a better future. Through the lens of her ancestors’ stories, Catherine Knight throws light on the genesis and evolution of the commons, its erosion through enclosure and the ascendency of private property in parallel with the rise of capitalism – a history that has indelibly shaped New Zealand society and its landscape.

Like other European settlers, the lives and future prosperity of the author’s ancestors had their foundations in war, land appropriation and environmental destruction – but in their histories lie glimmerings of the potentiality of commons: tantalising hints of an alternative path to a re-commoned, regenerative future. From a past of enclosure, resource exploitation and exponential growth, this book shines light on the potentiality of a different future, taking inspiration from our collective history.

About the author

Catherine Knight has extensive experience in both strategic and operational environmental policy, and governance in the education and environment sectors. She is currently working in strategic policy in the government sector.  She has a strong interest in wellbeing and post-growth economy and writes on these topics on Newsroom, The Spinoff and on Substack.

Catherine Knight is an Honorary Research Associate at the School of People, Environment and Planning, Massey University.