“Knowing” and “owning” seem like two separate things in our modern globalized world.

Our focus on words—or naming—causes us to view science (such as textbooks) as the dominant way of “knowing,” and law (such as intellectual property) as the dominant way of “owning.”

And this separation of knowledge and ownership leads to social inequalities—spanning academic and wider social spheres, with impacts across (de)colonialism, heritage, law, environmental change, science development and more.

A Framework for Change

The kn/own/able project is a collective of academics, artisans, and practitioners working to demonstrate that “knowing” and “owning” are inseparable—and that they mutually condition each other.

We do this by recognizing that “knowing” and “owning” happen through other means than words.

For example, a person can own knowledge of a Zumba dance through the performance of their bodies. Or through the use of an object such as a Rubik's Cube or a scientific instrument.

Understanding knowledge ownership as the practices of performance, naming, and use demonstrates how “knowing” and “owning” mutually condition each other.

We call these cases “kn/own/ables.”

Take for example the laboratory technician vs. the chemistry student:

...or of the spinning wheel used by a skilled artisan vs. the spinning wheel on display in a museum:

...or of the experienced dance instructor compared to a person with a trademarked Zumba certificate:

Through the kn/own/able project we hope to spark further discussion, empower researchers with new interdisciplinary methods, and instigate social change around the unity of knowledge and ownership.

Join Us

In Search of kn/own/ables

Do you have an idea or case study that challenges how we think about knowledge and ownership? Interested in collaborating on a multimedia project to communicate your kn/own/able? Click here to find out how you can Get Involved.