Setting the standard: how a four year utopian experiment established a six decade communal norm in Sointula, British Columbia
Date
2009-12-15T23:19:43Z
Authors
Wilson, Kevin
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Abstract
"Setting the Standard" examines over one hundred years in the existence of a British Columbia coastal community: Sointula "place of harmony ". From its beginnings as a socialist utopia settled by Finnish immigrants, to its place in the 1960s as a seemingly typical fishing community, peopled by a diverse ethnic mix. this thesis traces the ideological changes of the island's inhabitants over a six decade period. In doing so, this work uses Sointula as a case study to see how an ideological base first forms in a community and then how that ideology forms a standard that influences all succeeding community developments. Through this case study, particular historical events in the province surrounding the mining, logging and fishing industries, as well as the co-operative, labour union, and socialist movements are examined.
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Keywords
Sointula, cooperatives