Models of Rural Life in Russian Ecovillages

Abstract

Ecovillages appeared in Russia in the 1990s. This is the name of the villages whose residents are united by the ideology of environmentalism, healthy lifestyle, organic farming, and often by spiritual search. Almost all of them live in big cities. In Russia, the most popular version of ecovillages are “kin’s domains” described in Vladimir Megre’s book series on “Ringing Cedars of Russia”. Not only do they differ from each other, but their internal divisions not infrequently differ as well, because it is here that the different interests and goals of the residents converge. For some, ecovillage is a place for admiring nature and spending a summer vacation; for others, it is a farm; for others still, it is a platform for spiritual growth and creative realization; and there are those who see it as “kin’s place”. Drawn on the author’s own field research, the article takes the case of a single ecovillage to discuss different models of rural life.