Abstract

This paper develops a novel theory of intentional community formation grounded in systemic exclusion. Intentional communities—ranging from Amish settlements and eco-villages to countercultural gatherings like Burning Man—are often understood through their shared utopian visions. However, this study reconceptualizes them as collective responses to social exclusion or alienation by mainstream society. Drawing on interdisciplinary insights from utopian studies, institutional analysis, and social psychology, the paper argues that intentional communities emerge when three conditions converge: systemic social pressure or exclusion, the resulting disaffection, and the freedom of residence to withdraw. Drawing on comparative historical analysis, three cases—the Old Amish, Burning Man, and Jonestown—highlight how these variables interact, while emphasizing isolation and leadership’s role in shaping community trajectories. The theory suggests that intentional communities serve as experimental sites of utopian institutionalism and prefigurative politics, embodying efforts to build alternative social worlds in the present. This framework addresses definitional ambiguities and invites future empirical testing while acknowledging conceptual, theoretical, and methodological complexities inherent to studying intentional communities. Ultimately, it reframes these groups as dynamic laboratories of social and political change, deeply intertwined with broader struggles over inclusion, identity, and societal transformation.

Keywords: social exclusion | institutional change | utopia | intentional community | collective action | social movements

Citation: Zárate, D. H., Jr. (2025). From Exclusion to Utopia: A Comparative Study of Intentional Community Formation. Political Research Quarterly, 0(0). https://doi.org/10.1177/10659129251393665