Author : William Smith
Publisher : SAGE Publications
ISBN 13 : 1452263736
Total Pages : 177 pages
Book Rating : 4.31/5 ( download)
Book Synopsis Families and Communes by : William Smith
Download or read book Families and Communes written by William Smith and published by SAGE Publications. This book was released on 1999-08-27 with total page 177 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: What is life like in contemporary American communes? How do families fit into communal life? What are communal families, and what impact do families have on how communes are run and how they develop? As the only contemporary exploration of communal families, this book investigates the assumptions that scholars and others have made regarding the status of the family within communes, and debunks current myths about communes and communal families. While some groups are predisposed to families, other communal groups become replacements or substitutes for the nuclear family. William L. Smith investigates a variety of practices, including monogamy, polygamy, pantagamy, and celibacy, as implemented by intentional communities in dealing with family life. Drawing on the history of communes in the United States, Smith discusses various communal groups, such as the Shakers, the Mormons, the Oneida Community, the Amana Colonies, as well as contemporary rural and urban communal groups such as Twin Oaks, Jesus People USA, and the Hutterites. Families and Communes provides students and researchers with an intriguing study of a unique social group that is often overlooked.