Composting Capitalism: entangling with each other and disentangling from capitalism to create alternative prefigurative networks and systems
Summary
This thesis examines whether and how collaborative relations, structures and practices enable
prefigurative alternative networks to be more effective and impactful in their collective goals. To
do so, the research developed a novel analytical framework for network emergence through the
lens of entanglement and disentanglement. This was then applied to an in-depth case study of a
network in development to provide empirical data and demonstrate the organizing utility of the
(dis)entanglement framework. The case study focused on Amped Concepts, a concept
innovation bureau for systemic change in the Amsterdam region of the Netherlands that
facilitates collaborations among bottom up initiatives and with top down institutions toward the
development of a robust, regional and regenerative food system. The empirical findings and
analysis show how Amped employs centralizing, decentralizing, and stabilizing practices to both
foster interdependence toward an alternative food system (entanglement) and disrupt capitalist
logics within and beyond the network (disentanglement), offering a foundation for further
empirical and comparative studies across different sectors.