| American Community: Radical Experiments in Intentional Living Contributor(s): Ferrara, Mark S. (Author) |
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ISBN: 1978808232 ISBN-13: 9781978808232 Publisher: Rutgers University Press OUR PRICE: $28.76 Product Type: Hardcover - Other Formats Published: October 2019 |
| Additional Information |
| BISAC Categories: - Social Science | Sociology - Social Theory - History | United States - 19th Century - History | United States - 20th Century |
| Dewey: 307.770 |
| LCCN: 2019007533 |
| Physical Information: 1" H x 6.7" W x 9.3" (1.05 lbs) 234 pages |
| Themes: - Chronological Period - 19th Century - Chronological Period - 20th Century |
| Descriptions, Reviews, Etc. |
| Publisher Description: Mainstream notions of the "American Dream" usually revolve around the ownership of private property, a house of one's own. Yet for the past 400 years, a large number of Americans have dared to dream bigger and bolder, choosing to live in intentional communities that pooled resources, and they worked to ensure the well-being of all their members. American Community takes us inside forty of the most interesting intentional communities in the nation's history, from the colonial era to the present day. You will learn about such little-known experiments in cooperative living as the Icarian communities, which took the utopian ideas expounded in a 1840 French novel and put them into practice, ultimately spreading to five states over fifty years. Plus, it covers more recent communities such as Arizona's Arcosanti, designed by architect Paolo Soleri as a model for ecologically sustainable living. In this provocative and engaging book, Mark Ferrara guides readers through an array of intentional communities that boldly challenged capitalist economic arrangements in order to attain ideals of harmony, equality, and social justice. By shining a light on these forgotten histories, it shows that far from being foreign concepts, communitarianism and socialism have always been vital parts of the American experience. |