Counterfeit Community

From gated communities to Heaven's Gate the idea and practice of community in America have not only declined but mutated. In the process Americans' longing to be connected to something greater than themselves has intensified. This longing coupled with an absence of genuine community alternatives opens the way to counterfeit claims by those promoting economic rather than social agendas. This book examines 'counterfeit community' as it has become manifest throughout contemporary American society-in housing as it shapes our public spaces; in the workplace; in politics; in religion; and most recently in cyberspace.