From Eco-Utopia to Reality : Building a Praxis of Social Ecology Through Intentional Communities

Social ecology is an influential environmental political theory and praxis that addresses the interrelated nature of human and environmental oppression and injustice. Founded by Murray Bookchin in the 1960s, it looks at human history to draw out the qualities necessary for a transformed communalist future – one of liberation, ecological balance, and egalitarianism. Politically, communalism unfolds through a structure Bookchin calls libertarian municipalism – small ecocommunities with popular assemblies practicing direct democracy and regionally linked through a confederation. While some scholars and activists praise Bookchin's roadmap to communalism, others call its utopianism unfeasible. This leads to my question: how can modern communalism be practiced, and what are the implications and challenges of working toward a reconstructed, communal future? Through looking at the US network of intentional communities, I build theory on the applicability of communalism. Intentional communities demonstrate that prefigurative politics, collective lifestyle, direct political action, and imagination create the possibilities and limitations of constructing an ecological, liberated society. While the intentional community movement lacks a revolutionary political program, it illustrates the importance of the everyday in communal life. Humanity holds the potential for a communalist present and future, and the praxis of social ecology signals a viable launching point for visionaries.