ICSA2013:
Communal Pathways to Sustainable Living -
Past, Present and Future

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 global warming, 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.
• Cultural Events: sessions (up to 1.5 hours long) of community song, dance, music, storytelling, theatre, ritual, ceremony, martial art, circus etc., led by experienced teachers and practitioners, open to participants with diverse levels of experience.

All presentation types require submission of an abstract or proposal (300–500 words) in the first instance, together with a short presenter's bio (30–50 words). These will be published in the conference handbook so should be concise and engaging.

Timeline
June 30th 2012: Deadline for submission of academic paper abstracts.
Sept 30th 2012: Notification of acceptance of academic papers and presentations.
Dec 30th 2012: Deadline for submission of workshop proposals.
Jan 30th 2013: Notification of acceptance of workshop proposals.
June 30th 2013: Submission of written papers for inclusion in conference proceedings.

Please email your abstract or proposal to
Successful applicants will be notified and offered further guidance soon after the above dates.

ICSA
The International Communal Studies Association was founded in 1985 through collaboration between the US based Communal Studies Association and the Kibbutz Studies Centre of Israel. ICSA promotes and supports research of communal groups of all kinds including communes, kibbutzim, religious groups, ecovillages, cohousing, collective settlements, housing cooperatives etc. It functions as a clearing house for research projects, encourages comparative studies and maintains a list of communal organisations and individuals active in communal research internationally. ICSA also encourages the exchange of ideas/information amongst communal scholars and communards from around the world. It does this through its headquarters in Israel, its twice-yearly Bulletin issued to all members and its conferences, which are held every three years, usually in a well-known intentional community (e.g. ZEGG, Germany in 2001 and Damanhur, Italy in 2007) or at a historical communal site (e.g. New Harmony, USA in 1993 and The Amana Colonies, USA in 2004).

Keynote speakers at ICSA 2001: Prof Yacov Oved (l), Dr Bill Metcalf (c), Dr Daniel Greenberg (r)

Preliminary programme
ICSA conferences are usually preceded or followed by a three-day tour of other communities and historical sites in the region. In 2013 we wish to vary the format and offer, instead of an extended tour, an opportunity for participants to fully immerse themselves in the culture and practice of the Findhorn Foundation and community via a three-day Experience ‘Week’. Experience Week is the programme we offer to first-time guests. Most participants find it a poignant, heart-opening and, in some cases, life-changing experience.

The programme is as follows:
Saturday June 22nd–Monday June 24th: 3-day Experience ‘Week’ (optional)
Tuesday June 25th: Rest day and/or (optional) tours
Wednesday June 26th–Friday June 28th: Conference

Tours
The one-day tours could include (depending on the level of interest):

• Camp Hill, Aberdeen: an inspiring intentional community (2 hours each way by coach)
• New Lanark, near Glasgow: a famous historical site (5 hours each way by coach)
• The Highlands: Loch Ness, Eileen Doonan Castle, Ullapool (8 hours round trip)
• Whisky Trail: a tour of one or more local distilleries (6 hours round trip)
• Orkney Islands (12 hours round trip by bus, coach and ferry)
• The Park, Findhorn: a walking tour of the ecovillage (2 hours)

We will contact all participants in early 2013 with options and costs of tours.

Conference
In the spirit in which ICSA was founded, the conference will cater for both researchers wishing to present scholarly papers and communards seeking to gather with like-minded souls to share ideas, experiences and inspiration. The programme will therefore include, in roughly equal measure, paper presentations and participatory workshops. We also plan much celebratory activity – song, dance, storytelling, performance etc. We hope that considerable cross pollination will occur amongst participants to help create a rich and memorable event.

Please note The Utopian Studies Society (USS) will hold its 2013 annual conference at New Lanark (near Glasgow) immediately following this ICSA conference, for the convenience of those wishing to attend both events.

Registration
There are two registration options.

• Option 1: Full Week Residential
  Includes Experience 'Week', conference registration, all meals and 7 nights accommodation (but excludes tour costs).
  Income related price (click here for more information): £625 / £775 / £985

  Income Related Pricing

  We want to ensure that our courses are accessible to people with diverse financial means. When you book, please choose the low, medium or higher price listed for your programme, based on your personal income and keeping in mind that paying the lowest price covers only basic costs, while paying the medium and higher prices will allow this centre to develop and grow. Limited bursary funds are available if you cannot pay the lowest price, please see how to apply. You can also contribute to our bursary fund when you make your booking.

  
  Click here to register for Option 1.

 

• Option 2: 3-day Conference Only, Non-Residential
  Includes conference registration plus lunch and dinner on conference days (but excludes lodging and tour costs):
  Income related price: £195 / £295 / £395.
  Click here to register for Option 2.

Option 1 is only available to the first 120 applicants (the limit of our accommodation). So please, BOOK OPTION 1 EARLY! Those who register too late, or choose to come for just the conference and perhaps a tour (Option 2) will need to find their own accommodation. View a list of local hotels and B&Bs here or contact the Findhorn Bay Holiday Park which offers mobile home hire, caravanning and camping facilities within an easy walk of the conference venue.

Bursaries
A limited number of bursaries will be offered to very low income earners upon application at time of registration.

Contact details
Conference organiser (Findhorn): Dr Graham Meltzer
Address: The Park, Findhorn, Forres, IV36 3TZ, UK.
Tel: +44 (0)7789 593 989
email:

Booking information: Bookings
Address: The Park, Findhorn, Forres, IV36 3TZ, UK.
Tel: +44 (0)1309 691653
email:

ICSA President (Norway): Jan Martin Bang
Address: Delet, 3520 Jevnaker, Norway.
Tel: +47 48 12 96 53.
email:

ICSA Secretariat (Israel): Ruth Sobol
Address: Yad Tabenkin, Ramat Efal, Israel 52960
Tel: +972 3 5344458
email:

ICSA Website

Conference Sponsors