Vol. 16 No. 32 (2025): Communities and possible worlds. Community experiences and practices of resistance in neoliberal rationality
Articles

Ecological Resistance in Intentional Communities. A Case Study of Sociocratic Governance in an Ecovillage in Navarre (Spain)

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  • Marina Bertino,
  • María Dolores Martín-Lagos López
Marina Bertino
University of Granada, Spain
Bio
María Dolores Martín-Lagos López
University of Granada, Spain
Bio
DOI: https://doi.org/10.36253/smp-16189

Published 2025-12-30

Keywords

  • Neo-ruralism,
  • Intentional communities,
  • Transformative learning,
  • Participatory democracy

How to Cite

Bertino, M., & Martín-Lagos López, M. D. (2025). Ecological Resistance in Intentional Communities. A Case Study of Sociocratic Governance in an Ecovillage in Navarre (Spain). SocietàMutamentoPolitica, 16(32), 99–108. https://doi.org/10.36253/smp-16189

Copyright (c) 2025 Marina Bertino, María Dolores Martín-Lagos López

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

Abstract

This paper explores ecological resistance through the lived experience of Arterra Bizimodu, an ecovillage in Navarre, Spain, where around 40 people have come together to create a life centred on cooperation, sustainability, and shared governance. As part of a wider neo-rural movement, many of the residents – mainly aged between 25 and 45 – have chosen to leave urban life behind in search of a more meaningful and ecologically aligned existence. The community is the headquarters of GEN-Europe (Global Ecovillage Network) and plays a key role in networks supporting transformative learning and regenerative living. Drawing on fieldwork conducted in 2024, including participant observation and 12 interviews, this study looks closely at how sociocratic decision-making, permaculture design, and everyday ecological practices shape both personal and collective transformation. Tools like non-violent communication and participatory democracy help foster mutual trust, emotional awareness, and a sense of shared responsibility. Rather than representing utopian idealism or retreat, Arterra Bizimodu functions as a grounded experiment in socio-ecological transition. It illustrates how ecovillages can act as real-world laboratories in the daily practice of care, participation, and interdependence.

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