Walking the Cartonera Path

Walking the Cartonera Path is the voice of a collective project that through the art of making books with re-used cardboard discovered a world to put politics into action. A place for disseminating knowledge and publishing texts in a way that is deeply embedded in communities – migrant communities, indigenous communities, and dissident communities contending with the history of empires. Part reflection, part manual, part history, part critique, this book is as much about the challenges of working collectively with others as it is about making books. For Pensaré the practice of cartonera is not just an object for sale, it is a practice that opens up possibilities for understanding other rhythms, economies and relationships that do not fit into the capitalist structure we live in. The sense of politics articulated here is deeply informed by Zapatismo and militates against the extraction and knowledge of the Global South by academies, institutions and consumers in the Global North.

Rosa Fernanda Serna Desouches is an independent publisher who loves exploring texts, textures, and paper. “I firmly believe that by operating outside the logic of hegemonic common sense, we can create more dignified worlds for all. I became a translator out of necessity within social movements, and later as a means to sustain an increasingly fragile material existence. “

Andrzej Baginski is an activist, organizer, researcher and teacher committed to moving thoughts and resources across and against institutional and linguistic boundaries.