Marking the Land: How Intentional Communities Shape
Their Surrounding Physical & Social Landscapes
The 2015 Conference of the Communal Studies Association will be held at Pleasant Hill, Kentucky. In 1806, Shaker missionary visits to this area stimulated religious revivals and Shaker conversions which led to the establishment of the Pleasant Hill community. By the 1820s, Pleasant Hill was one of the largest Shaker communities in America. The Shakers at Pleasant Hill actively shaped a landscape that was entirely distinct from the physical and social landscapes of the surrounding region, making Pleasant Hill a Kentucky showpiece.
Intentional communities make their mark on the places they inhabit. That mark might be in the physical transformation of the landscape that sustains the community. It might be the design or transformation of the structures that shelter the community. Or it might be the creation or reorganization of a distinct social landscape. Landscape transformation lies close to the heart of the communal impulse.
We seek the widest range of participation at CSA’s 2015. Paper proposals may address any aspect of communal and intentional group studies, historical and contemporary, alike. We especially encourage paper proposals addressing the theme of landscape transformation, broadly constructed. CSA welcomes proposals from graduate and undergraduate students, first-time presenters, and professional and amateur scholars alike.
Deadline for Submission of Paper and Session Proposals:
May 15, 2015
Use our website form to send your presentation title, a 150-word maximum abstract, and a brief (100 word) biographical statement and contact information. Only on-line proposals will be accepted.
For information contact Program Chair, Carol Medlicott, at medlicottc1@nku.edu. All presenters will be notified by email in August 2015. A limited amount of financial support is available for graduate student assistance. If applicable, please indicate your interest with your on-line proposal submission. Successful applicants will be notified of financial support by email in August 2015.
The Communal Studies Association is an interdisciplinary organization for people living in intentional communities, historic site personnel and academics representing topics including history, anthropology, religious studies, sociology, political science, and others. Each year, the CSA’s annual conference is held at the site of an historic intentional community. For more information about the organization, see our website.
Torang Asadi
Communal Studies Association
Communal Studies Association | P.O. Box 122 | Amana | IA | 52203