ABSTRACT
Following the description of the historical development of communes and intentional communities, there is a need to present a collective profile of this phenomenon as seen from the beginning of the twenty-first century. The communes and intentional communities of the second half of the twentieth century were built on various models, and held a great variety of beliefs and ideologies. Before the foundation of the Fellowship for Intentional Community, the associations of communes were sectorial, and based on a common identity. In the communes that were founded in the eighties and nineties much attention was devoted to the creation of lifestyle norms that would preserve personal freedom within a framework of communal solidarity. In the religious communes there was a great variety of beliefs, ranging from Protestant and Anabaptist sects and a diverse group of esoteric cults to Eastern religions such as the Hare Krishna, Buddhism, and Sufism.
