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Eden within Eden : Oregon's utopian heritage
2009
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Summary
Oregon has been the home of nearly three hundred communal experiments since the Aurora Colony was established in 1856. Eden Within Eden is the first book to survey the state’s utopian history, from religious and Socialist groups of the nineteenth century to ecologically conscious communities of the twenty-first century. James J. Kopp examines Oregon’s communal history in the context of the state as a destination for those seeking new beginnings and in the framework of utopian and communal experiences across America. Eden Within Eden provides rich detail about utopian communities— some realized, some only planned—many of which reflect broader social, political, economic, and cultural aspects of Oregon’s history. From the dawn of communal groups in Oregon—the German Christian colony at Aurora—to Oregon’s most infamous communal experiment—Rajneeshpuram—this study examines the range of attempts to establish ideal communities in the state. These include the Jewish agrarian colony of New Odessa in the 1880s as well as the “new pioneers” of the 1960s and later who captured the spirit of the counterculture as well as growing concerns about the environment. The book explores other areas of Oregon’s utopian heritage as well, including literary works and idealistic city planning. There has been no comparable book published on Oregon’s communal history and few such comprehensive examinations of other states. The appendix is a rich compilation that will guide individuals to additional information on the profiled—and many other—communities. Eden Within Eden will appeal to students and scholars of communal studies and Pacific Northwest history, as well as to general readers interested in these subjects.
Table of Contents
Prefacep. ix
Introduction Oregon as Edenp. 1
Chapter 1Eden and Utopiap. 9
Chapter 2The American Utopian Traditionp. 22
Chapter 3The Dawn of Utopia in Oregon: The Aurora Colonyp. 39
Chapter 4Seeking the Ideal Community in Oregonp. 51
Chapter 5No Placep. 88
Chapter 6Cooperation in Oregon in the Early Twentieth Centuryp. 100
Chapter 7From Cooperation to Survival in the Twentieth Centuryp. 119
Chapter 8Rediscovering Utopia: The New Pioneers of the Late 1960sp. 133
Chapter 9The Dream Continues: From the 1970s to the Twenty-first Centuryp. 147
Chapter 10The Dark Side of Utopiap. 169
Conclusion Oregon as Utopiap. 180
Appendix From Abba's Way to the Zoop. 187
Notesp. 307
Indexp. 360
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