The Oneida Community was one of the most radical and successful utopian communes in American history. Much of this is due to the elevated status that women enjoyed inside this community. Indeed, due to their radical conceptions of sex, family, and gender, women were afforded far more opportunities than their counterparts in the outside world. This presentation will explore women’s experiences in this community through the biographies of three women named Harriet who exemplify and complicate the lives of women in the Oneida Community.

Thomas A. Guiler is the Director of Museum Affairs at the Oneida Community Mansion House.