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Libraries HomeUtopian Community Expert Jim Kopp Reads Mon., May 11
April 27, 2009
Author Jim Kopp will share readings from his book Eden Within Eden: Oregon's Utopian Heritage, Monday, May 11, at 7 p.m. in the Knight Library Browsing Room. Kopp's book is the first to survey Oregon's utopian history, from religious and Socialist groups of the nineteenth century to ecologically conscious communities of the twenty-first century. He examines Oregon's communal history in the framework of utopian and communal experiences across America. Eden Within Eden provides rich detail about utopian communities--some realized, some only planned--many of which reflect broader social, political, economic, and cultural aspects of Oregon's history. From the dawn of communal groups in Oregon-the German Christian colony at Aurora-to Oregon's most infamous communal experiment--Rajneeshpuram--Kopp describes the range of attempts to establish ideal communities in the state. These include the Jewish agrarian colony of New Odessa in the 1880s as well as the "new pioneers" of the 1960s who captured the spirit of the counterculture and gave voice to growing concerns about the environment. Kopp explores other areas of Oregon's utopian heritage as well, including literary works and idealistic city planning..
Kopp is director of the Aubrey R. Watzek Library at Lewis & Clark
College in Portland, Oregon. He has been researching the utopian
experience in America since his undergraduate years at the University
of Oregon and has made presentations on Oregon's utopian heritage
across the state.
Kopp utilized the UO Libraries Special Collections to research much of his book. Special Collections & University Archives, located on the second floor of Knight Library, is the repository for the library's rare materials and for the official documentation of the university. Special Collections provides an unmatched and irreplaceable record of Northwest history and culture for authors and researchers.
Sponsored by the University of Oregon Libraries and the UO's Duck Store, the May 11 event is free and open to the public.
Jim Kopp