The Communal Experience

The Communal Experience (1973) by Laurence Veysey Historian Laurence Veysey examines the development of anarchist and mystical counter-cultures in America from the late 19th century through the early 1970s. His research focuses on several key communal settlements and movements that challenged mainstream American society. The book tracks the parallel evolution of political anarchism and spiritual mysticism as alternative lifestyle movements. It documents life in experimental communities, the social dynamics between members, and their interactions with surrounding conventional society. A significant portion of the study centers on the Ferrer Center and Colony in New York and New Jersey, along with other notable communes and collectives of the period. The work is supported by extensive interviews, archival materials, and firsthand accounts from community members. The study reveals enduring patterns in how alternative communities form, operate, and relate to mainstream culture - patterns that remain relevant to understanding counter-cultural movements today. It explores the tension between individual freedom and group cohesion that shapes communal experiments.

Limited reader reviews exist online for this academic book about American communes from 1960-1975. The few available reviews come from academic journals and scholarly sources rather than consumer platforms. Readers valued: - Detailed firsthand accounts from actual commune visits - Analysis of lesser-known communes beyond the famous examples - Documentation of day-to-day commune operations - Objective tone in describing countercultural movements Main criticisms: - Too narrow focus on specific California communes - Insufficient coverage of religious communes - Dense academic writing style No ratings or reviews appear on Goodreads or Amazon. The Journal of American History review noted the book provides "careful fieldwork and thoughtful analysis" while critiquing its limited geographic scope. The American Historical Review praised Veysey's "participant-observer" approach but questioned whether his sample size was representative enough to draw broader conclusions about the communal movement.

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🔹 The peak of American communal experiments occurred between 1890-1920, with over 140 documented communities established during this period. 🔹 Laurence Veysey was a pioneering historian at the University of California, Santa Cruz, who helped establish the field of intellectual and cultural history in American academia. 🔹 One of the most notable communities covered in the book, the Home Colony in Washington state, operated from 1896 to 1919 as an anarchist experiment in individual freedom. 🔹 Many of these alternative communities were influenced by Eastern spiritual practices, particularly Buddhism and Hinduism, decades before the mainstream counterculture of the 1960s. 🔹 The book was published in 1973 during a new wave of communal living experiments, making it particularly relevant to contemporary readers seeking historical context for modern intentional communities.