Women, Family, and Utopia: Communal Experiments of the Shakers, the Oneida Community, and the Mormons (Utopianism and Communitarianism) [Paperback]

Lawrence Foster (Author)

Product Details

• Paperback: 432 pages
• Publisher: Syracuse Univ Pr (Sd); 1st edition (January 1992)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0815625359
• ISBN-13: 978-0815625353
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #458,522 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars What do the Mormons, Shakers, and Oneidaists Have in Common?, June 4, 2004

By 

Roger D. Launius "Historian" (Washington, D.C., United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Women, Family, and Utopia: Communal Experiments of the Shakers, the Oneida Community, and the Mormons (Utopianism and Communitarianism) (Paperback)

Lawrence Foster, professor of history at the Georgia Institute of Technology, is well-known as one of the outstanding scholars working in the "New Mormon History." Specializing in the interpretation of the socio-cultural and religious contexts of gender relationships in the early nineteenth century, Foster's earlier book--Religion and Sexuality (Oxford University Press, 1981)--was a trailblazing work dealing with the Shakers, the Mormons, and the Oneida perfectionists. This newer study brings together Foster's already published essays on this subject, although they are much revised from the originals, and offers a thoughtful and in many cases provocative investigation into alternative lifestyles among early American communal groups.

Foster goes beyond his earlier research in this work by looking at the marriage and family patterns of those three groups and how they might illuminate present concerns over gender and family relationships in society. He suggests that the unrest in the early nineteenth century prompted an intense examination of virtually every social institution of the nation. A central part of that examination revolved around marriage and family life, especially as earlier means of enforcing sexual behavior broke down in response to the pressures wrought by industrialization, western conquest and expansion, and intellectual ferment. In religion the emphasis on millennialism and Christ's advent prompted the development of especially radical groups. The Shaker practice of celibacy was an outgrowth of preparation for the coming millennium. Mormonism's plural marriage system had roots in the same concerns, but was propelled more by the quest for knowledge about humanity's state after death. The Oneida "complex marriage" system also aimed toward perfection of humanity in preparation for its encounter with deity.

After an introduction Foster included three chapters each on the Shakers and the Oneida community, each raising interesting questions and posing challenging interpretations. It is the four chapters on the Mormons, however, that made the most significant contribution of the book and offers the most insights about present concerns of patriarchy and gender relationships. Partly this is because Mormonism is a highly successful religious sect in the latter twentieth century and partly because Foster carries the story up to the recent stand of the Mormon church opposing the Equal Rights Amendment. He finds in all of Mormon history, moreover, a greater acceptance of patriarchy and second class position for women than in the other communal groups. with the exception of allowing more than one wife for much of its nineteenth century history, Mormonism's gender relationships were more in concert with larger American society than either the Shakers or the Oneida community. One intriguing question ( but giving a plausible answer would entail imaginative and probably counter factual investigation: did Mormonism's acceptance of patriarchy have anything to do with its great success vis-à-vis the other communal groups?

"Women, Family, and Utopia" is a delightful and useful book, which adds appreciably to our understanding of these early communal groups. It is especially valuable in offering assistance in interpreting family and gender relationships. It will be fascinating to those interested in the early development of communal religions and is a worthwhile companion and sometimes counterpoint to other works reinterpreting the history of American sacred life in the nineteenth century.

0 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars One more way to put shame on God and People., August 3, 2011

By 

The Milk Crate "Defending Liberty" (Virginia USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Women, Family, and Utopia: Communal Experiments of the Shakers, the Oneida Community, and the Mormons (Utopianism and Communitarianism) (Paperback)

I bought this book feeling it would shed some light on some often pondered questions of perhaps why and how Latter-day Saints ( Mormons ) could take such a drastic measure to separate themselves from the rest of the American populace. After reading this book I was greatly disappointed in the author and his approach to the subjects. Not only does he find nonfactual information, he also seems to go out of his way to put his own spin on the subject. Obviously the author does not have the real intentions of giving the truth to matters as they may be. I have cross referenced some of his info in this book with factual info from the Mormon website and other books giving accounts of what he writes about. What I found out is that he has put a spin on it to try and discredit any facts about the mormon experiences. Trying to bring plural marriage into the 21st century as a way of life for the Mormons and also trying to discredit Joseph Smith as a brutal Sexist pig. I am quite tired of spending good money for trash books such as this. If you are looking for a great storytelling experience with very little factual info told in a factual way, this may be your money burner. If you are searching for some truth to events in American History events, this is far from being anything of the like.