title: Utopian Vision: A Grand Solution for a Scholarly Dilemma.
abstract: 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.
authors.affiliation: Action Research Associates, Atlanta, GA, USA.
authors.forename: Roderick J
authors.initials: RJ
authors.lastname: Watts
mesh_terms: D018864:Cultural Diversity; D005006:Ethnicity; D006801:Humans; D012111:Residence Characteristics; D012919:Social Behavior; D012931:Social Environment; D012933:Social Identification; D014481:United States; D014601:Utopias
keywords: Diversity; Racial integration; Sense of community; Social identity