There are various ways in which humans have lived in community over the centuries, many of which have been considered utopias. Some have been created by philosophers and writers in her books, but there are also many those that were put into practice throughout history, as stated by the feminist thinker Kristen Ghodsee in her work Everyday utopias (Captain Swing Editorial).
As Ghodsee explains, today, it is still possible to find those other ways of coexistence in different parts of the planet. These are five utopian communities around the world that is worth knowing to discover another way of doing things.
Tamera Community (Alentejo, Portugal)
Twin Oaks (Virginia, United States)
In the rural area of the state of Virginia (United States), in the town of Louisa, Twin Oaks constitutes a secular utopian community which was founded in 1967 by eight university students. They had the idea after reading the utopian novel Walden Twoby BF Skinner, and its main values are based on the cooperationnon-violence and egalitarianism.
For more than 50 years, Twin Oaks has lived on the fringes of mainstream American society. It is made up of a hundred members who are dedicated to activities such as sell seeds and plantscarry out craft work, prepare tofu and index books to earn income for the community. Furthermore, they live in large communal houses and they share appliances and belongings, which reduces daily expenses. They even have a car sharing cooperative. All residents have to do domestic work, and in exchange they receive a monthly allowance, shelter, food and medical insurance, and are insured I work at Twin Oaks. They admit visits to get to know the community and short stays.
The highest concentration of ecovillages in which communities share all their world income has traditionally occurred in Western Europe. In 1995, a group of Germans created the Tamera Peace Education and Research Centerwhich in 1995 relocated to Portugal, where it is currently located.
With 135 hectares in the Portuguese Alentejo, 35% of the income of this ecovillage comes from donations, and 59% comes from visitors and students who stay there to study at their educational center. Tamera is defined as a peace village and a cooperative of people who are working so that the world has a non-violent future. Currently, they have 170 adult members and 30 children. Relationships between community members are based on cooperationthe trust and mutual support, and all of them live in individual and collective spaces, and in community houses. They also allow visitors.
Atarashiki-mura (Japan)
The utopian community of Atarashiki-mura (Aldea Nueva or New Village) was founded in 1918 by the philosopher and artist Mushanokoji Saneatsuin Hyūga, and later moved to Moroyama, Saitama Prefecture.
As the years went by and the aging of its inhabitants, as well as the scarcity of new members, the population of Atarashiki-mura (423-1 Katsunuki, Moroyama-cho, Iruma-gun, Saitama 350-0445) decreased considerably and Many times there has been talk of its complete disappearance. As of July 2022, there were three members living in the village and another 160 living outside of it. His income came from production and sale of products like rice, teas and vegetables. They also opened to the public the art Museum and Lifestyle Culture Museum.
Ecovilla Gaia (Buenos Aires, Argentina)
Among the numerous ecovillages that are part of the organization Global Ecovillage Network (GEN) is the Ecovilla Gaiain Buenos Aires (Argentina). Founded in the 90s of the 20th century, 10 kilometers from the city of Navarro, its objective was to create a community in which its members could enjoy the comforts of modern life, promoting mutual support and the environmental care. They thus created a ecological village where renewable energies are used and founded the International Permaculture University.
Today, Gaia is divided into two condominiums: Sunrisewhere it is possible to obtain a plot and use it to live, to enjoy on vacation, to accommodate visitors or to rent it, and Spring, with larger plots where a larger production model can be planned. In all areas you can have own house and complexes for ecotourism.
Hutterite community of Montana (United States)
When talking about utopian communities, we cannot ignore the existence of religious ones. This is what happens with the hutterite community. It’s formed by self-sufficient coloniesmade up of less than 20 families on separate farms, throughout the state of montana (USA).
The Hutterites live communally and are self-sufficient. They build their houses, repair their machines, make their own feed and follow the traditional sustainable agriculture systems. Currently, the Montana Hutterite Community produces up to 90% of the state’s pork. But they do not live apart from the world. They have vehicles with GPS and smartphonesand they do not hesitate to use them if necessary.
