The Utopians is the remarkable story of six experimental communities –
Santiniketan-Sriniketan in India, Dartington Hall in England,
Atarashiki-mura in Japan, the Institute for the Harmonious Development
of Man in France, the Bruderhof in Germany and Trabuco College in
America – that sprang up in the aftermath of the First World War.
Each was led by charismatic figures who dreamed of a new way of living.
Rabindranath Tagore, Dorothy and Leonard Elmhirst, Mushanokoji
Saneatsu, G. I. Gurdjieff, Eberhard and Emmy Arnold and Gerald Heard
all struggled to turn ambitious ideals into reality. They – and their
fellow communards – left their jobs, their homes and their social
circles. They faced mockery and persecution, penury, hunger and
discomfort, and their own doubts about whether their efforts to change
society would ever make a difference.
Anna Neima’s absorbing and vivid account of these collectives, from
creation to collapse, reveals them to be full of eccentric characters,
outlandish lifestyles and unchecked idealism. They were dramatic,
fractious places where high ideals collided with the need to feed the
chickens, clean the toilets, bring up squabbling children and grow the
grain for the daily bread.
These communities were small in scale and dismissed in their time. Yet,
a century later, their influence still resonates in realms as disparate
as progressive education, environmentalism, medical research and
mindfulness training. They provided, and continue to provide, a rich
store of inspiration for those who aspire to improve the world. Without
them, the post-war world would have been a poorer place.
General
Is the information for this product incomplete, wrong or inappropriate?
Let us know about it.
Does this product have an incorrect or missing image?
Send us a new image.
Is this product missing categories?
Add more categories.
Review This Product
No reviews yet - be the first to create one!
Welcome to Loot.co.za!
Sign in / Register |Wishlists & Gift Vouchers |Help | Advanced search
