ANTHROPOLOGICAL STUDIES OF THE UTOPIAN COMMUNITIES

Description

The interest of this Doctoral Thesis focuses on the analysis of a group of contemporary utopian communities from theoretical perspectives close to postmodern criticism. Ethnographed for years in different locations on four continents, this socio-anthropological study will highlight the characteristics, development and social image of this complex and little-known social reality. The perspective will not only be spatial, that is, it will encompass not only “being there”, living with utopian subjects in their own communities, but also temporal, since emphasis will also be placed on continuity, on the existence of heterodox groups and communities throughout history. The new ethical criticism, the ecological problem and the fear of an imminent fourth extinction will guide us towards the exploration of new millenarian beliefs arising from the new religious movements born in the so-called New Age. A careful review of these cults, which with difficulty adhere to a recognizable pattern, will allow us to understand how some ideas are used in the so-called post-capitalist era or, for the more critical, eco-capitalist era.