Back to the land Guide, Meaning , Facts, Information and Description
Today, the phrase "back to the land movement" usually refers to a North American social phenomenon of the 1960s and 1970s (which is discussed further, below in this article). This particular back-to-the-land movement was a migration from cities to rural areas that took place in the United States, its greatest vigor being before the mid '70s.However, by way of context, a few more things may be usefully said. The American poet/anthropologist Gary Snyder (who is also an amateur historian) has related in a published interview that there have been back-to-the-land population movements down through the centuries, largely due to the occurrence of severe urban problems and people's felt need to live a better life, often simply to survive.
More pertinent to North America, many individual persons and households have moved from urban or suburban circumstances to rural ones at different times; for instance, there was a fair degree of interest in doing so after World War II. In 1947 Betty MacDonald published what became a popular book, The Egg and I, telling her story of marrying and then moving to a small farm on the Olympic Peninsula in Washington state. This story was the basis of a successful comedy film starring Claudette Colbert and Fred MacMurray. But what made the later phenomenon of the ‘60s and ‘70s especially significant was that the rural-relocation trend was sizable enough that it showed up in American demographic statistics.
The roots of this movement can be traced to the 1954 publication of Helen and Scott Nearing's book, Living the Good Life (Reprint edition ISBN 0805209700). The book chronicled the Nearing's move to a cottage in a rural area of Vermont and their simple, self-sufficient lifestyle. In their initial move, the Nearings were driven by the circumstances of the Great Depression and influenced by earlier writers, perhaps particularly Henry David Thoreau. The Nearings planned and worked hard, developing their homestead according to a twelve-point plan they had drafted.
By the late '60s, many people had recognized that, living their city or suburban lives, they completely lacked any familiarity with such basics of life as food sources (for instance, what a potato plant looks like, or the act of milking a cow). Manypeople wished to get more in touch with these basics, but the movement was also fuelled by the "negatives" of modern life: rampant consumerism and failings of government and society, including the Vietnam War, the Watergate scandal, the 1973 energy crisis, and growing public concern about air and water pollution. While not strictly part of the 1960s counterculture movement, the two movements had some overlap in participation.
Besides the Nearings and other authors later writing along similar lines, another influence from the world of American publishing was the unprecedented, vigorous, and intelligent Whole Earth Catalogs. Stewart Brand and a circle of friends and family began the effort in 1968, because Brand believed that there was a groundswell - perhaps especially among the young - of biologists, designers, engineers, sociologists, organic farmers, and social experimenters who wished to transform civilization along lines that might be called "sustainable." Brand and cohorts created a catalog of "tools" - defined broadly to include useful books, design aids, maps, gardening implements, carpentry and masonry tools, metalworking equipment, and a great deal more.
Many of the North American back-to-the-landers of the 1960s and 1970s made use of the Whole Earth Catalogs and successor publications.
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2 The few who succeeded 3 The many who returned 4 The end of the movement 5 Related topics 6 Bibliography |
Most of the back-to-the-landers wanted greater contact with nature, and sought to become self-employed workers in a cottage industry. Many wished to build their own house, and produce a good deal of their own food. Solar energy was sometimes used for either heat or electricity, and wood heat was popular.
Generally, the back-to-the-landers who stayed on the land shared three common traits:
For the most part, the back-to-the-landers were unprepared for the realities of a rural lifestyle, and many believed that they could get by without a steady source of income by selling produce and other home-made items. Most returned to city living after a few years in the country, mainly because of financial trouble and relationship problems.
There is no well-defined event that can be used to mark the end of the era. Rising prosperity, and a sense that the earlier social problems were solved (though we still hear about many of them in the media), led to reduced interest in rural lifestyles in the late 1970s. Instead, the more focused environmental movement, voluntary simplicity, and renewed interest in outdoor recreation took its place.
While the influential Stewart Brand was not "married" to the rural-homestead concept (he himself has mainly lived in town, in coastal Northern California), he and the many thinkers and doers associated with his publications have tended to remain involved with exploring and promoting values related to ecological and social "sustainability."
This is an Article on Back to the land. Page Contains Information, Facts Details or Explanation Guide About Back to the land The target lifestyle
The few who succeeded
Many had flexible occupations, like writing and other creative work, that they could engage in from their home. Others had steady, if less glamorous, jobs in a nearby town. Those who succeeded were realistic about their financial needs, and also chose a homestead that was comfortable and practical.The many who returned
The end of the movement
Related topics
Bibliography