Utopian Vision: A Grand Solution for a Scholarly Dilemma

• Published in: American journal of community psychology Vol. 59; no. 3-4; pp. 280 - 283
• Main Author: Watts, Roderick J.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England Blackwell Science Ltd 01-06-2017
• Subjects: Citizens; Community; Cultural Diversity; Diversity; Ethnic Groups; Humans; Multiculturalism & pluralism; Personal experiences; Racial integration; Residence Characteristics; Sense of community; Social Behavior; Social Environment; Social Identification; Social identity; Social integration; United States; Utopias; United States > US; Sense of community; Racial integration; Social identity; Diversity
• ISSN: 0091-0562; 1573-2770
• DOI: 10.1002/ajcp.12139

Reconciling the Zen‐like paradox on the back of every red penny—“out of many, one”—is not for the faint of heart. It is a diversity motto, and a lofty desire that the United States claims to covet. But can its citizens, undocumented or otherwise, even agree on what it is? Is not the desire to maintain a strong sense of community in conflict with a Noah's Ark conception of diversity? Using my personal experience in an intentional community determined to foster racial integration, I explore the complicated possibility of having it both ways. To do so, however, we must construct a notion of community, diversity, and The Good Life that will make us believe and work for this synthesis. Our reactions to the word “utopia” offer a glimpse of the challenges ahead.
Highlights
Diversity and its intersections with social identity.
What is a racially integrated neighborhood?
Can diverse communities have a strong sense of identity?