Transcendental Meditation and the Remaking of an Iowa Farm Town
Utopian Studies October 1, 2014 DOI: 10.5325/utopianstudies.25.2.0341 (opens in new tab)
Summary
AI-generated from the abstractThe Transcendental Meditation movement established a university and settled about two thousand followers in Fairfield, Iowa, after purchasing a bankrupt Presbyterian college in the 1970s. The community transformed the town's culture, politics, and social life. However, followers have aged and the movement's numbers nationwide have declined. With the death of leader Maharishi Mahesh Yogi in 2008, the Fairfield group now faces possible extinction, similar to other Utopian communities before it. The article examines the community's impact and considers its likely future.
Study at a glance
| Characteristics | Historical analysis Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Key finding | Argues that the Transcendental Meditation community in Fairfield, Iowa, faces possible extinction due to aging followers and declining national numbers. |
Abstract
ABSTRACT The Transcendental Meditation movement bought a bankrupt Presbyterian college in Fairfield, Iowa, in the 1970s and established its own university and settled a community of about two thousand followers there. The movement transformed the town's culture, politics, and social life. Followers, however, have grayed, and the movement's numbers nationwide have dwindled. Transcendental Meditation leader Maharishi Mahesh Yogi died in 2008. Now, like many other Utopian communities before it, the Fairfield group faces possible extinction. I look at the impact the community has had and ponder its likely future.