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Communalism refers to a range of diverse perspectives, theories, and movements in which social change is founded in the redevelopment of community as a site of close, personal, face-to-face relationships as opposed to the anonymity and impersonal character of industrial capitalist society. One of the most influential early notions of communalism can be found in the works of German sociologist Ferdinand Tönnies, who presented the community as an alternative to the cold calculation of market-based society (Gesellschaft) that was replacing the close ties of rural life (Gemeinschaft).

The term communalism became increasingly popular in the late twentieth century, especially among progressive activists and leftists seeking an alternative discourse on communal societies beyond the discredited forms of authoritarian Communism, Marxism, Sovietism, and Leninism. It has become particularly popular among contemporary anarchists, notably those influenced by American anarchist philosopher Murray Bookchin’s writings on social ecology and libertarian municipalism. Bookchin saw communalism not only as the development of a new public sphere that might oppose the state and capital, but also an alternative to the ant collectivist emphasis on individualism and personal autonomy in libertarianism and much of contemporary anarchism.

For communalism, social life is organized primarily in small communes where community decisions are based on consensus and participatory democracy in face-to-face meetings involving all members. In place of a national state—a central decision-making body consisting of professional governors who make decisions for communities they do not belong to—under communalism, local communes come together in a confederal association of recallable delegates to address issues of mutual interest and concern, such as trade.

Communalist movements have included communal living arrangements in urban centers, “back-to-the land” movements such as the hippie movement that began in the United States in the 1960s, utopian communities such as Scotland’s New Lanark, and present-day land trusts, in which property is owned collectivity.

Anarchists view communalist arrangements as a precursor to a large-scale transformation of society, as the idea of a confederation of communes—the “commune of communes”— comes to pose an alternative to the state for a growing number of people. Eventually, having been rendered obsolete, the state will wither away.

Communalism has also gained popularity as a perspective within conservatism in North America. For conservatives, communalism offers an alternative to the cultural diversity, social fragmentation, and liberalization of contemporary society. Conservative communalists argue for what they view as a return to “traditional” community life, based on the neighborhood and often resting on a patriarchal view of the family, as an answer to broad social problems. Some conservative communalists point to the social movements of the 1960s and 1970s, especially those espousing feminism, black power, and gay and lesbian rights, as causes of a perceived breakdown of “traditional” community values. Among the most influential proponents of conservative communalism is German-Israeli American sociologist Amitai Etzioni. In some areas of South Asia, including contemporary India, communalism refers to sectarian conflicts between religious communities and between people of the same religion but different regions.

Bibliography:

Bookchin, Murray. Free Cities: Communalism and the Left. London: Pluto Press, 2009.
The Politics of Social Ecology: Libertarian Municipalism. Montreal: Black Rose, 1997.
Social Ecology and Communalism. San Francisco: AK Press, 2007.
Buber, Martin. Paths in Utopia. Syracuse, N.Y.: Syracuse University Press, 1996.
Etzioni, Amitai. From Empire to Community: A New Approach to International Relations. New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 2004.
The Spirit of Community. New York: Crown Books, 1993.