Overview

After World War II, communes and cooperative communities became internationally oriented in their membership and networking began to develop. Unlike earlier such enterprises, these groups shared an openness to international relationships. This was evident both in the groups' social composition, and in the extension of networks beyond their own country. Such globalization opened up the possibility of comparative analysis, which has become a trend in research since the 1950s. The dynamism and speed with which voluntary communities have spread throughout the world is impressive. In the 1950s there were only a few hundred such societies, but by the end of the last century there were thousands. These have taken a variety of forms. There are religious and secular communes, intentional communities, ecological communities, co-housing projects, various types of Christian communities, communities of Eastern religions, and spiritual communities inspired by New Age thought. Yaacov Oved shows that such societies maintain a community based on cooperation and expand their influence through newspapers, television, and the Internet. Their chief characteristic is their openness to the outside world, and their search for a way to move beyond a world of individualism and competitiveness. To accomplish this, they embrace all the tools of the modern world. Oved observes that those who predicted the failure of communes and intentional communities failed to appreciate the extent to which people in today's society aspire to communal life. This book answers the doubters and does so with a sense of deep historical understanding.

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9781412849487

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In a new book, historian Yaacov Oved, himself a member of a kibbutz, suggests that the communal idea is flourishing as never before. He points out that the past five decades have shown a steady increase in the creation of cooperative communities in dozens of countries. These frameworks offer an alternative lifestyle to the competitive society in which most of us live... [H]e concedes that his research has not provided all the answers, just as his life as a kibbutz member did not, but both his scholarship and his personal experience of communal living have filled his life with meaning and strengthened his belief in the value of partnership and the principle of mutual responsibility. <p> --Daniel Gavron, author of The Kibbutz: Awakening from Utopia <p> There is no one better suited to undertake this mighty task. . . . The author is not only a lifetime scholar but he has also lived and contributed to communal life in a kibbutz over the entire period that this book embraces. . . . Communes have come through difficult times but their essential message remains as fresh as ever. The book deserves to be read, not just by commune enthusiasts but also in the mainstream, where citizens increasingly look askance at the negative effects of globalization and question whether there might be a better way to organize society. <p> --Dennis Hardy, emeritus professor of urban planning, Adelaide, Australia <p> Professor Yaacov Oved's book reflects his magisterial overview of intentional communities throughout history as well as today across the globe. . . . Only Professor Oved, an internationally recognized and universally respected, distinguished scholar of the highest order would have had the nerve to try to produce such a magisterial book--and only he could have succeeded so well. <p> --Bill Metcalf, Griffith University, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia <p> No one knows more than Yaacov Oved about the global history of communes over the last century. This volume is destined to

-At this time, when the all-conquering free market structure is facing an international crisis, it is surely worthwhile to take a look at one of the few alternative ways of organizing society . . . . Oved's book, which is truly global in its scope, is only marginally about Israel's kibbutz movement, but I venture to suggest that only a kibbutz member could have written it. . . . [A] noted historian of the anarchist movement and the communal scene, Oved is more than qualified to insturct us, but it is his experience of more than fifty years of communal living. . . that gives the book its remarkable insights. . . . I submit that, for all our faults, we Israelis do have osmething to say to the world at large about how human beings can relate to one another and Globalization of Communes, a valuable document for our times, illustrates this contention.- --Daniel Gavron, The Daily Beast -To live for the greater good of the community is something that has been lost in the world's transition to cities. -Globalization of Communes- is study of global communes over a sixty year period following the second world war. Yaacov Oved presents an intriguing study of many commune projects, drawing from secular sources, new age driven communities, religious places, as well as a measure of their success and failure in the ongoing and successful bigger picture. A scholarly and fascinating look at the concept of the commune around the world, -Globalization of Communes: 1950-2010- is a must for anyone who wants to better understand cooperative living in a more impersonal world.- --Library Bookwatch -In a new book, historian Yaacov Oved, himself a member of a kibbutz, suggests that the communal idea is flourishing as never before. He points out that the past five decades have shown a steady increase in the creation of cooperative communities in dozens of countries. These frameworks offer an alternative lifestyle to the competitive society in which most of us live... [H]e concedes that his research has not provided all the answers, just as his life as a kibbutz member did not, but both his scholarship and his personal experience of communal living have filled his life with meaning and strengthened his belief in the value of partnership and the principle of mutual responsibility.- --Daniel Gavron, author of The Kibbutz: Awakening from Utopia -There is no one better suited to undertake this mighty task. . . . The author is not only a lifetime scholar but he has also lived and contributed to communal life in a kibbutz over the entire period that this book embraces. . . . Communes have come through difficult times but their essential message remains as fresh as ever. The book deserves to be read, not just by commune enthusiasts but also in the mainstream, where citizens increasingly look askance at the negative effects of globalization and question whether there might be a better way to organize society.- --Dennis Hardy, emeritus professor of urban planning, Adelaide, Australia -Professor Yaacov Oved's book reflects his magisterial overview of intentional communities throughout history as well as today across the globe. . . . Only Professor Oved, an internationally recognized and universally respected, distinguished scholar of the highest order would have had the nerve to try to produce such a magisterial book--and only he could have succeeded so well.- --Bill Metcalf, Griffith University, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia -No one knows more than Yaacov Oved about the global history of communes over the last century. This volume is destined to become the standard work on intentional communities worldwide since 1950.- --Tim Miller, The University of Kansas -The globe-trotting professor Yaacov Oved is the consummate historian of worldwide communal living in our time. By experience, a founding member of Kibbutz Palmachim, and, by profession, a scholar of communalism, Dr. Oved is one of the most qualified writers on this significant social phenomenon. . . . No other single work critically analyzes and summarizes recent global communal developments in such breath and depth. Civic leaders and general readers, as well as communitarians, students, and scholars, will benefit greatly from this engrossing account by one of the most highly regarded communal historians.- --Donald E. Pitzer, Professor Emeritus of History, University of Southern Indiana; founder and first president, The Communal Studies Association and the International Communal Studies Association

In a new book, historian Yaacov Oved, himself a member of a kibbutz, suggests that the communal idea is flourishing as never before. He points out that the past five decades have shown a steady increase in the creation of cooperative communities in dozens of countries. These frameworks offer an alternative lifestyle to the competitive society in which most of us live... [H]e concedes that his research has not provided all the answers, just as his life as a kibbutz member did not, but both his scholarship and his personal experience of communal living have filled his life with meaning and strengthened his belief in the value of partnership and the principle of mutual responsibility. <p> --Daniel Gavron, author of The Kibbutz: Awakening from Utopia

<p> At this time, when the all-conquering free market structure is facing an international crisis, it is surely worthwhile to take a look at one of the few alternative ways of organizing society . . . a valuable document for our times. <p>--The Daily Beast <p> To live for the greater good of the community is something that has been lost in the world's transition to cities. Globalization of Communes is study of global communes over a sixty year period following the second world war. Yaacov Oved presents an intriguing study of many commune projects, drawing from secular sources, new age driven communities, religious places, as well as a measure of their success and failure in the ongoing and successful bigger picture. A scholarly and fascinating look at the concept of the commune around the world, Globalization of Communes: 1950-2010 is a must for anyone who wants to better understand cooperative living in a more impersonal world. <p>--Library Bookwatch <p> In a new book, historian Yaacov Oved, himself a member of a kibbutz, suggests that the communal idea is flourishing as never before. He points out that the past five decades have shown a steady increase in the creation of cooperative communities in dozens of countries. These frameworks offer an alternative lifestyle to the competitive society in which most of us live... [H]e concedes that his research has not provided all the answers, just as his life as a kibbutz member did not, but both his scholarship and his personal experience of communal living have filled his life with meaning and strengthened his belief in the value of partnership and the principle of mutual responsibility. <p>--Daniel Gavron, author of The Kibbutz: Awakening from Utopia <p> There is no one better suited to undertake this mighty task. . . . The author is not only a lifetime scholar but he has also lived and contributed to communal life in a kibbutz over the entire period that this book embraces. . . . Communes have come through diffi

At this time, when the all-conquering free market structure is facing an international crisis, it is surely worthwhile to take a look at one of the few alternative ways of organizing society . . . . Oved's book, which is truly global in its scope, is only marginally about Israel's kibbutz movement, but I venture to suggest that only a kibbutz member could have written it. . . . [A] noted historian of the anarchist movement and the communal scene, Oved is more than qualified to insturct us, but it is his experience of more than fifty years of communal living. . . that gives the book its remarkable insights. . . . I submit that, for all our faults, we Israelis do have osmething to say to the world at large about how human beings can relate to one another and Globalization of Communes, a valuable document for our times, illustrates this contention. --Daniel Gavron, The Daily Beast To live for the greater good of the community is something that has been lost in the world's transition to cities. Globalization of Communes is study of global communes over a sixty year period following the second world war. Yaacov Oved presents an intriguing study of many commune projects, drawing from secular sources, new age driven communities, religious places, as well as a measure of their success and failure in the ongoing and successful bigger picture. A scholarly and fascinating look at the concept of the commune around the world, Globalization of Communes: 1950-2010 is a must for anyone who wants to better understand cooperative living in a more impersonal world. --Library Bookwatch In a new book, historian Yaacov Oved, himself a member of a kibbutz, suggests that the communal idea is flourishing as never before. He points out that the past five decades have shown a steady increase in the creation of cooperative communities in dozens of countries. These frameworks offer an alternative lifestyle to the competitive society in which most of us live... [H]e conce

In a new book, historian Yaacov Oved, himself a member of a kibbutz, suggests that the communal idea is flourishing as never before. He points out that the past five decades have shown a steady increase in the creation of cooperative communities in dozens of countries. These frameworks offer an alternative lifestyle to the competitive society in which most of us live... [H]e concedes that his research has not provided all the answers, just as his life as a kibbutz member did not, but both his scholarship and his personal experience of communal living have filled his life with meaning and strengthened his belief in the value of partnership and the principle of mutual responsibility. <p> --Daniel Gavron, author of The Kibbutz: Awakening from Utopia <p> There is no one better suited to undertake this mighty task. . . . The author is not only a lifetime scholar but he has also lived and contributed to communal life in a kibbutz over the entire period that this book embraces. . . . Communes have come through difficult times but their essential message remains as fresh as ever. The book deserves to be read, not just by commune enthusiasts but also in the mainstream, where citizens increasingly look askance at the negative effects of globalization and question whether there might be a better way to organize society. <p> --Dennis Hardy, emeritus professor of urban planning, Adelaide, Australia <p> Professor Yaacov Oved's book reflects his magisterial overview of intentional communities throughout history as well as today across the globe. . . . Only Professor Oved, an internationally recognized and universally respected, distinguished scholar of the highest order would have had the nerve to try to produce such a magisterial book--and only he could have succeeded so well. <p> --Bill Metcalf, Griffith University, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia <p> No one knows more than Yaacov Oved about the global history of communes over the last century. This volume is destined

Author Information

Yaacov Oved has been a member of Kibbutz Palmachim ever since its establishment in 1949. He is professor emeritus at Tel Aviv University's department of history and a research fellow of Yad Tabenkin. He has engaged in the research of communes throughout the world and has published books and articles on this subject in Hebrew, English, and Spanish. He was one of the founders of the International Communal Studies Association (ICSA) in 1985 and servedas its chairman until 2004.

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