Communal Pathways to Sustainable Living

Conference of the International Communal Studies Association (ICSA) Findhorn Community, 26–28 June 2013.

The Findhorn Foundation and community will proudly host the 11th international conference of the International Communal Studies Association in June 2013, bringing together up to 250 communal scholars and community activists from around the world. The conference and associated events will offer a rare opportunity in a unique communal setting to share academic research and lived experience of collective life in intentional communities such as ecovillages, cohousing, communes, kibbutzim, sectarian communities and housing cooperatives.

The conference title and themes focus on the nexus between community and sustainability. At a time of increased public awareness of the human causes of climate change, there is a critical need for information about, and demonstration of, low impact sustainable lifestyles. Historically, many intentional communities developed materially modest lifestyles in small socially cohesive groups, striving for self-sufficiency and exercising stewardship of their land. Modern day ecovillages, of which Findhorn is a prime example, seek to further reduce their ecological impact by technological, social and other means. This conference will showcase sustainable lifestyles within communal settings and offer a wellspring of data, analysis, ideas and applications to inform and inspire those attending.

Conference Themes
Community and sustainability are both rich, multi-faceted concepts, therefore the range of topics and themes which might be addressed at the conference is commensurately broad. We offer the list below as a smorgasbord of possibilities, all of which we believe have relevance. Popular themes will likely become overarching themes for sessions of paper presentations.

Communal living: past, present and future
What is the nature of a sustainable society?
Sustainability through collective endeavour
Communities and anti-consumerism
Alternative / community economics
Cohousing and ecovillages as sustainable models
Transition Towns as mainstream community action
Community glue (cultural, spiritual, ecological etc.)
Ritual and celebration in community
Building social cohesion within community
Education within communal settings
Children and youth in community
Family in community
Gender issues in community
Aging and the elderly in community
Community and people with disabilities
Working with minorities in community
Cultural development in community
Personal transformation in community
Co-creation with nature in community
Gardens as utopian/communal settings
Sustainable architecture within community
Decision making in community
Issues of power and control in community
Grass-roots empowerment via community
Community involvement with wider society
Community and the Internet

Call for Papers and Presentations
We invite proposals for the following:

Paper Presentations: of completed academic research or work-in-progress (e.g. PhD fieldwork) in the form of a written paper (3000–5000 words) and oral presentation (up to 20 minutes). Papers of an acceptable (academic) standard will be included in Conference Proceedings to be published online.
Workshop Presentations: sessions (1–1.5 hours long) of engaging participatory dialogue (and/or activity) on a relevant topic, typically beginning with an introduction (15–20 minutes) by one or more facilitators.
Poster Presentations: illustrated display boards about intentional communities from around the world (existing and proposed). These will be displayed for the duration of the conference and time will be made available for informal presentation to those interested.

All presentation types require submission of an abstract or proposal (200–300 words) in the first instance, together with a short presenter’s bio (50–60 words). These will be published in the conference handbook so should be concise and engaging.

For mer informasjon se: http://www.findhorn.org/programmes/454/#.USPIkFplWWA