Kerista Community: Managing Conflict and Disagreement in Utopia

The Kerista Community existed in San Francisco during the 1970s and 80s. It was a small but thriving urban community that challenged traditional ideas about marriage, sexuality, child rearing, and balancing capitalism with shared labor and property. Although very successful economically, Kerista eventually imploded over conflicts about the value of labor, shared responsibilities, and the way they managed conflict. This presentation will explore Kerista’s Gestalt-o-Rama system, the disagreements that led to their breakup, and the structure of power within this supposedly egalitarian community.