[From French and Latin communal: of a commune or community.]
(politics) Communalism is a kind of small-scale utopianism or voluntary collectivism. Political communalists sometimes posit that local communities should have virtual autonomy within the context of a larger state or society (similar to Robert Nozick's concept of meta-utopia). Nonpolitical communalists pursue such autonomy by building voluntary, ideal communes or communities (see utopianism).