Shaun Murdock | Root & Branch Translation

Caliban and the Witch | Root & Branch A critical review linking the 'Great Witch Hunt' to the birth of the modern proletariat. How the enclosure of land required the enclosure of women's bodies.

Capitalism didn't evolve naturally. It was built on the enclosure of the commons and the body.

Silvia Federici's Caliban and the Witch is essential reading for anyone trying to understand the 'hidden debt' of the modern economy: Social Reproduction.

My review: rootandbranch.online/library/revi...

Vital work. It echoes the 2003 Charter of the Brazilian Solidarity Economy Forum, which drew a hard line between the 'Third Sector' (filling gaps) and 'Solidarity Economy' (transforming the logic). Financing movement infrastructure requires us to maintain that distinction.

Social Economy Glossary | Root & Branch A six-language field guide (EN, FR, ES, CA, IT, PT) navigating the 'untranslatables', legal variances, and structural concepts of the social economy.

An Asset Lock isn't a pair of handcuffs. It's a vault. 🔒

In European cooperative law, this is called 'Indivisible Reserves'. The capital belongs to the movement, not the members. It ensures the mission survives the founders.

rootandbranch.online/library/soci...

Governing the Commons | Root & Branch A critical look at the evidence for self-organisation, refuting the inevitability of the 'Tragedy of the Commons' through empirical study.

The "Tragedy of the Commons" is a myth used to justify enclosure.

Elinor Ostrom proved that communities can self-manage resources better than the State or Market. How? Polycentric Governance. Not a single centre of power, but nested layers of decision-making.

rootandbranch.online/library/gove...

Our NEW toolkit – Preventing workplace sexual harassment – is a comprehensive toolkit to help #coops comply with the Equality Act 2010. To ensure your co-operative can demonstrate it is taking action to prevent workplace sexual harassment visit: buff.ly/XaqPHcU #HRsupport

Ecological Journalism | Root & Branch Translations of investigative reporting across the Global South. Preserving the technical language of territorial conflict, from Easter Island to Peru.

Ecology is a governance issue. 🌱

When I translate territorial disputes for Mongabay, I don't just translate the "nature" words. I translate the legal mechanisms of enclosure.

From Rapa Nui to Peru, the fight for land is a fight for definition.

rootandbranch.online/library/eco-...

Charter of Principles (FBES) | Root & Branch A translation of the 2003 manifesto defining the Brazilian Solidarity Economy as a political project distinct from the 'Third Sector'.

We are not the 'Third Sector'. We are the alternative. 🌍

My translation of the Brazilian FBES Charter rejects the idea that we exist just to fix capitalism's mistakes. We are here to build the Economy of Work.

rootandbranch.online/library/char...

#SolidarityEconomy #Brazil

Against the Gist | Root & Branch An exploration of technical methodology, using Laurent Barry's 'Terminological Logics' to demonstrate why structural fidelity matters more than stylistic flow.

Don't let them 'domesticate' your text.

When we translate radical concepts into 'smooth' corporate English, we strip them of their political teeth.

I practice 'Thick Translation', preserving the friction of concepts like Autogestion.

Precision is resistance.

rootandbranch.online/library/mani...

Law 381/1991 on Social Cooperatives | Root & Branch A translation of the foundational Italian statute for social cooperatives, distinguishing between social service delivery and work integration.

Real inclusion isn't an HR policy; it’s a legal structure.

Italy’s Law 381 uses 'Type B' co-ops to move marginalized workers from charity cases to worker-owners.

I've translated the full statute to show how it works: rootandbranch.online/library/law-...

#SocialCoops #LegalHacking #SSE

The Wealth of Networks | Root & Branch A synthesis of corporate finance research and social economy theory, proposing a 'Sovereignty Dashboard' to measure the retention of collective force.

If you use the master's metrics, you'll rebuild his house. 🏚️

EBITDA measures extraction. We need metrics for retention.

My 'Sovereignty Dashboard' tracks value retention vs extraction. Stop optimising for exit. Start optimising for autonomy. 🌳

rootandbranch.online/library/weal...

#Coops #SSE

Proudhonian Sociology | Root & Branch A portfolio of work tracing the lineage of 'Collective Force' from Proudhon to Durkheim and modern organisational theory.

2 journal articles. 2 books published. 4 free PDFs. 📚

Tracing the lost lineage of French Sociology from Proudhon to Durkheim.

⚖️ Plus: a new review of Silvia Federici to audit the Social Reproduction gap.

rootandbranch.online/library/prou...

#Proudhon #Sociology #History #OpenAccess

Big Data, GenAI & Finance | Root & Branch An analysis of the digital revolution in Third Sector financing, examining how Big Data and GenAI navigate new EU regulations.

Can Big Data serve the little guy? 🤖

My latest translation looks at how the Third Sector adopts Generative AI. Tools like Dataro use algorithms not to sell ads, but to predict fundraising stability.

Full analysis: rootandbranch.online/library/big-...

#AI #NonProfits #DataPrivacy #SocialEconomy

Social Economy Glossary | Root & Branch A six-language field guide (EN, FR, ES, CA, IT, PT) navigating the 'untranslatables', legal variances, and structural concepts of the social economy.

Words shape reality. In the US/UK, 'Fiduciary Duty' binds directors to shareholders. In Europe, 'Intérêt Collectif' frees them to serve the community. ⚖️

My glossary maps these 'untranslatables' to protect democratic economic spaces. 📖

rootandbranch.online/library/soci...

#SocialEconomy #Law

The 1936 Decree | Root & Branch A structural recovery of the Decree on Collectivisation, exploring the legal architecture of a worker-led industrial economy.

In 1936, Catalonia didn’t just 'take over' factories; they legislated a new economy.

My translation of the 1936 Decree recovers the legal 'Source Code' for worker control, bridging theory with modern practice.

Full PDF: rootandbranch.online/library/decr...

#SocialEconomy #SSE #Coops #Catalonia

The Methodology of Social Fidelity | Root & Branch How precise translation lowers the "Perception Premium" for cooperatives seeking global capital. A guide to IAF, PCAF, and the Ternary Relationship.

The 'Perception Premium' is why global capital often ignores the Global South. We must stop translating for the 'gist' and start translating for legitimacy.

My latest on Social Fidelity as soft infrastructure: rootandbranch.online/library/tech...

#SocialEconomy #Coops #ImpactInvesting

A moody, green-toned photograph of a dense library with floor-to-ceiling bookshelves and a warm lamp, representing the deep research behind Root & Branch Translation.

Happy 2026! I’m relaunching Root & Branch with a new resource: The Library.

It bridges foundational theory (Proudhon) with modern cooperative practice.

New translations:

🏛️ Law 381 (IT>EN)
⚔️ 1936 Decree (CA>EN)
📜 FBES Charter (PT>EN)

🔗 rootandbranch.online/library/

#SocialEconomy #Coops