Where have all the Utopias gone?: Ritual, solidarity, and longevity in a Multi-faith commune in New Mexico
Year: 2010
Type: article
Abstract: Utopian experiments creating new forms of community have dotted the globe throughout human history. Despite grandiose visions, a majority of communal experiments have faded quickly into oblivion. A wealth of scholarship has focused on reasons why communes typically fail. My research of an ecumenical commune in northern New Mexico examines what has facilitated its perpetuation for over 42 years. I participated in this community for different periods of time for over three years. With the assistance of a resident oral historian, I was able to expand my study into a diachronic view that spanned decades. I conclude that there are multiple and interconnected factors that have given strength to this community. Factors contributing to its persistence throughout its existence have been a strong economic base, strong social structures, overarching ideologies, adaptability, charismatic influence, ritual observances, sacralization of space and material culture, amicable relations with the outside, conflict management mechanisms, and boundary maintenance. In the past two decades other factors have been added or intensified to contribute to its solidarity including a transient population and a widening circle of outside support.
Author: Linda Prueitt Hansen
Language: English
Subfield: Urban Studies
Field: Social Sciences
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W2242752764