What is an intentional community and how is it defined?
An intentional community is a voluntary residential community designed to foster high social cohesion and teamwork, typically around shared values, beliefs, or a common vision. W. J. Metcalf's 2004 definition requires five or more people from more than one family who have voluntarily come together to live beyond mainstream society, sharing significant aspects of life with a "we-consciousness." The Fellowship for Intentional Community further defines a commune, a specific type, as an intentional community with 100% income sharing.
What are the oldest intentional communities in history?
Ashrams are likely the earliest intentional communities, founded around 1500 BCE. Buddhist monasteries appeared around 500 BCE. Around 525 BCE, Pythagoras founded an intellectual vegetarian commune in southern Italy.
How are intentional communities typically governed?
The most common form of governance in intentional communities is democratic, used by 64 percent of communities through consensus decision-making or voting. A hierarchical or authoritarian structure governs 9 percent, while about 11 percent combine democratic and hierarchical approaches.
What happened to the Ralahine commune in Ireland?
The Ralahine commune was established in 1831 on John Vandeleur's estate at Newmarket-on-Fergus, County Clare, under rules written by English socialist Edward Thomas Craig. It prospered for a time, with 29 new members joining. In 1833 it collapsed due to John Vandeleur's gambling debts, and the members held their final meeting on the 23rd of November 1833.
What role did intentional communities play in the 1960s hippie movement in the United States?
Intentional communities served as a refuge from consumerism, restrictive social norms, and the military draft. Prominent examples included Kaliflower, founded in San Francisco in 1967 with values of free love and anti-capitalism, along with Wheeler's Ranch and Morning Star Ranch in northern California. According to Gilbert Zicklin's 1983 study, the majority of residents in American hippie communes were white and upper-middle class.
How many communes are listed in the Fellowship for Intentional Community's directory?
As of the 28th of January 2019, the Fellowship for Intentional Community's online directory listed 222 communes worldwide. The Fellowship defines a commune as an intentional community with 100% income sharing.