phalansterian

A phalansterian community gathers for a shared meal in their common hall.

Definition

1. Noun:

   • A member of a phalanstery: a person who belongs to a phalanstery, which is a self-contained cooperative community or association, especially as envisioned by the French social theorist Charles Fourier.

2. Adjective:

   • Relating to a phalanstery: describing something that pertains to or is characteristic of a phalanstery or the social system of Fourierism.

Usage Examples

• Noun:

  • The phalansterian believed in communal living and shared resources. (A member of a cooperative community.)

• Adjective:

  • The phalansterian model of society was proposed as an alternative to capitalism. (Pertaining to the phalanstery system.)

Advanced Usage

• "Phalansterian socialism": a specific branch of utopian socialism based on Fourier's ideas of organized, self-sufficient communities.
  • Phalansterian socialism influenced later communal movements in the 19th century. (The socialist theory centered on phalansteries.)

Variants and Related Words

• Phalanstery (n): a building or complex housing a phalansterian community; the community itself.
  • The phalanstery was designed to house 1,500 people. (The physical structure of the cooperative.)
• Phalansterianism (n): the social doctrine or system advocating phalansteries.
  • Phalansterianism was popular among certain 19th-century reformers. (The ideology.)

Synonyms

• Communitarian: relating to a community based on shared living.
• Utopian socialist: a follower of a system aiming for ideal social organization (often used broadly).

Phrasal Verbs

Related Idioms