Date of Award

Spring 5-9-2026

Degree Name

Bachelor of Arts (BA)

Department

Environmental Studies

Advisor(s)

John Van Buren

Abstract

Peter Maurin, the co-founder of the Catholic Worker Movement, had a vision for communities rooted in three principles: cult (religion), cultivation (self-sufficiency and farming), and culture (intellectual and artistic pursuits). This paper critically examines the rise of farming communes as alternatives to industrial agriculture, questioning their ideological assumptions and practical efficacy through an investigation of three distinct community models. While these communities often position themselves as solutions to systemic injustice and ecological degradation, they are frequently idealistic and exist on the margins of society. This paper questions whether these community models can function as scalable systemic alternatives or are fragile social experiments prone to instability. Chapter 1 will provide an overview of industrialized agriculture, capitalism, and countercultural farming movements that have arisen in response to industrial agriculture, as well as the ecosystem services provided by farming communes. Chapter 2 will discuss the foundations of political philosophy that span these three communities, as well as the role of theology in shaping their way of life. Chapter 3 will focus on ecology to investigate the effectiveness of their farming practices and infrastructure for self-sufficient communal living. Chapter 4 will utilize the disciplines of political science and economics to examine the practical implications of these models. Chapter 5 will provide recommendations for the movement and its supporters. Ultimately, this work argues that farming communes function as a part of the alterglobalization social movement, generating alternative ecological and social practices that challenge dominant systems.

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