Back-to-the-land movement
The Back-to-the-Land movement emerged in North America during the mid-1960s and persisted into the 1970s, promoting values of self-sufficiency, simplicity, and anticonsumerism. Rooted in the agrarian ideals of figures like Thomas Jefferson, Ralph Waldo Emerson, and Henry David Thoreau, the movement attracted individuals disillusioned by urban and industrial life, encouraging a migration to rural areas. Participants sought to align their daily lives with nature, engaging in practices such as building homes from natural materials, generating alternative energy, and growing their own food. As the movement progressed, it increasingly embraced environmentalism, reflecting a broader concern for sustainable living. By the end of the 1970s, over a million people had relocated to rural settings, although interest waned in the 1980s due to economic prosperity. The 1990s saw a resurgence of environmentally conscious lifestyles, leading to a modern interpretation of the movement known as "modern homesteading," which encompasses both rural and urban practices aimed at reducing environmental impact. Today, the movement's ideals continue to resonate, inspiring individuals to pursue a more sustainable and frugal lifestyle.
On this Page
Subject Terms
Back-to-the-land movement
IDENTIFICATION: Social movement based on the values of self-sufficiency and human harmony with nature
DATES: 1960s-1970s
The back-to-the-land movement exemplified a practice that sought to give greater meaning to everyday life through adherence to values of self-sufficiency, simplicity, freedom, and, most important, anticonsumerism.
The expression “back to the land” is commonly used in reference to a North American social and countercultural phenomenon that started during the mid-1960s and continued well into the 1970s. The historical roots of the movement can be traced to Thomas Jefferson’s agrarian vision and to the practice of self-reliance espoused by nineteenth century philosophers and essayists Ralph Waldo Emerson and Henry David Thoreau. Those who took part in the so-called back-to-the-land movement migrated from cities to rural areas because they had become increasingly disenchanted with the growing urban and industrial culture; they were attracted to a simple sort of daily life based on a set of values and choices that they saw as being in tune with an agrarian way of life and thus in greater harmony with the natural world.
Among the activities undertaken by those who joined the movement were building homes with natural materials; setting up systems to generate alternative forms of energy, such as solar and wind power; and growing their own food. They also faced choices regarding what types of livelihoods they should pursue and whether to work at home or outside the home; in addition, they somehow had to reconcile their desire to give up the rampant consumerism in society with their need to make a living. Members of the movement were arguably more interested in “making a life” for themselves than they were in “making a living.” Many chose to live very simply, at the mercy of nature, and endure some of the inconveniences this may occasionally entail rather than indulge in what they viewed as the rampant and alienating consumerism of North American society at large.
By the end of the 1970s, the movement evolved into one that took up the causes of the growing environmental movement as people became more concerned with sustainable and holistic living. It has been estimated that by this time, well over 1 million people had moved from the cities to rural areas. In the 1980s, however, a significant decline was noted in the number of people interested in leaving consumer culture for a simpler life in the countryside. This is explained in part by the booming and widespread prosperity of that decade. According to some observers of these trends, the 1990s saw a return to more environmentally conscious lifestyles among many North Americans, particularly in view of increasing awareness of global ecological crises.
In the twenty-first century, there was a resurgence in the ideals associated with the movement. This return to living frugally, self-sufficiently, and with environmental consciousness is often referred to as “modern homesteading.” The twenty-first century version of modern homesteading can range from rural living with a focus on complete self-sufficiency to city dwellers who adopt an environmentally conscious way of life that reduces their carbon footprint.
Bibliography
Agnew, Eleanor. Back from the Land: How Young Americans Went to Nature in the 1970’s, and Why They Came Back. Chicago: Ivan R. Dee, 2004.
Gibson, Brittany. "What Does It Mean to Have a Modern Homestead? " The Homestead Challenge, 23 Jan. 2024, thehomesteadchallenge.com/what-homesteading-means-to-me/. Accessed 15 July 2024.
Jacob, Jeffrey C. New Pioneers: The Back-to-the-Land Movement and the Search for a Sustainable Future. 1997. Reprint. University Park: Pennsylvania State University Press, 2006.
Nearing, Helen, and Scott Nearing. Living the Good Life: How to Live Sanely and Simply in a Troubled World. 1954. Reprint. New York: Schocken Books, 1987.
Wallace, Frankie. "Is The Back-to-the-Land Movement Experiencing a Resurgence?" HeadStuff.org 17 Oct. 2019, headstuff.org/topical/homesteading-land-movements/. Accessed 15 July 2024.