Abstract

This paper investigates the role of knowledge culture as both a theoretical framework and practical pathway for realizing knowledge socialism in the postdigital era. Drawing on Michael A. Peters’ conceptualization of knowledge socialism, it argues that knowledge culture—understood as socially embedded, collaborative, and open knowledge practices—provides the epistemic and ethical foundation for democratizing knowledge and resisting its commodification under cognitive capitalism. The analysis traces the theoretical genealogy of knowledge culture, examines its constitutive elements, and highlights its political and ethical implications for reimagining knowledge as a public good. Empirical examples, including peer-produced platforms such as Wikipedia, Open Educational Resources, and citizen science initiatives, demonstrate how knowledge culture operationalizes the principles of openness, inclusion, and collective governance, while also revealing the structural challenges posed by digital assetization and platformization. The paper concludes by emphasizing that advancing knowledge socialism requires interdisciplinary collaboration, institutional reform, and critical consciousness to counteract the constraints of technological capitalism and build a democratic, equitable, and sustainable knowledge commons.