Understanding the socio-economic foundations of alternative economic organizing: An empirical study of cooperatives

The aim of this research is to understand the reasons for the establishment of cooperatives in Turkey, which question the very experience of organizing and demonstrate that another form of organization is possible. Based on interviews conducted with 19 people from 8 cooperatives operating in fields such as theater, publishing, education, food, services, and energy, the study examines the founding motives of cooperatives by taking into account the constraints and/or opportunities created by the specific conditions of the social structure. According to the findings, concerns and quests for solutions generated by the politico-economic context serve as the driving force behind the establishment of cooperatives. As spaces of encounter for those seeking solutions, cooperatives provide a ground for togetherness and enable the production of collective power. This collective power (surplus power) created within cooperatives spreads into other spheres, making it possible to transform the social field. By helping marginalized groups living under conditions of insecurity to "cut their own umbilical cords," cooperatives, which are established from the bottom up, foster empowerment and encourage civic participation, thereby opening up possibilities for rethinking the assumptions of "organization" in new ways. Key Words: Alternative Organizing, Cooperatives, Solidarity Economy, Commons