Shared Knowledge and Social Messages in New Collective Communities of the 21st Century: A Generation Perspective

ABSTRACT

The present qualitative research examined four new urban intentional collective communities in Israel as generational units, as defined in Mannheim’s (1970) theory of generations. The findings indicate that the cooperative experience of most of the group members in their rural collective communities of origin had a notable effect on the lifestyles in the urban communities they founded. The results also reveal that the group members’ interpretation of significant personal biographical events or collective memories shaped the group identity and consciousness into a new generational unit with a social message. The study contributes to the empirical research of the theory of generations. It also illuminates how intentional communities arise and oppose current trends in an era of neoliberalism and capitalist economy.

KEYWORDS:

• Intentional communities
• generational consciousness
• case study
• Mannheim

Acknowledgments

I would like to thank Professor Hannah Herzog and Professor Yuval Dror, whose guidance was instrumental throughout the study, and the members of the communities, who opened their doors and told me their story.