This book provides an in-depth history of three US-based communal societies that operated in the late 1960s and 1970s—Soul City, Stelle and Twin Oaks—with an emphasis on their financing, marketing, and entrepreneurship processes.
Rahima Schwenkbeck is a historian of American Business. Her work on topics such as utopias, video games, advertising, and environmental issues has been featured in several edited collections. She received her doctorate in American Studies from The George Washington University (USA).
1. Introduction.- 2. Founding Ideologies of Soul City, Stelle and Twin Oaks.- 3. Pioneers in the Middle of Nowhere: Land and Space.- 4. No Hippies, Please: Members and Membership Policies.- 5. Commune, Inc.: The Perils and Benefits of Entrepreneurship.- 6. Some Hands on Deck: Labor Politics and Practices.- 7.Selling the Dream: Advertising Community and Business.- 8. Everything Has its Price: Financing a Community.- 9. The Invisible Hand, or Crushing Fist, of the State.- 10. Conclusion: Meandering Towards Utopia.