Communitarianism is a moral, social, and political intellectual endeavor that started in the early 1980s as a critical reaction to John Rawls’s book A Theory of Justice (1999), but also as an opposition to classical liberalism. Unlike liberalism's emphasis on the rights of individuals communitarians emphasize the value of community and community life. Communitarians also oppose the political priority of the state. They champion a conception of community based on the values of responsibility, morality, family, and civic values. The communitarian idea of citizenship is based on the individual responsibility to their community (communal commitments, obligations, and allegiances), that come with being a member of some community, especially in areas of schooling, neighborhood control, and policing.

Communitarians oppose  ‘atomism’ and individualism of liberalism and stress the social nature of individuals and their identities. The „unencumbered self” (Sandel) which precedes its social roles and values to communitarians does not exist. They also accentuate the importance of historical and social contexts when constructing their theories and values. For them, the content of values and norms is directly linked to their particular and local contexts, and not to abstract principles. Values and norms are formed and made stronger by family, workplace, and democratic participation in the life of the community. Some of the most famous and influential communitarians are Daniel Bell, Amitai Etzioni, Alasdair MacIntyre, Michael Sandel, Philip Selznick, Charles Taylor, and Michael Walzer.

Etzioni believes that the individual should act and develop within his community. Due to capitalism and excessive individualism, communities are collapsing. Etzioni sees this process as very dangerous because only strong communities can respond to the needs of society efficiently and reflectively. On the other hand, individuals who actively participate in the development of their community become more responsible citizens. Etzioni believes that it is necessary, in cases of a serious emergency and great danger, to limit some constitutionally guaranteed rights, to protect the community and individuals, because, according to him, "radical individualism" would jeopardize social responsibility. He also emphasizes the need to increase tolerance and mutual understanding between different communities. In the book Moral Dimension (1988), Etzioni studied the motives of individuals that influence their social behavior. The behavior of individuals is guided by two key types of motives: achieving happiness and fulfilling a moral duty. The relationship between these two motives is changing from society to society, as well as throughout history, so social theory must understand the dynamics of forces that affect these two forms of motivation.

Authors: Bell; Daniel; Etzioni, Amitai; MacIntyre, Alasdair; Buber, Martin; Sandel, Michael; Selznick, Philip; Taylor, Charles; Walzer, Michael.

Books:

Bell. Communitarianism and its Critics (1993); 

Bellah, Robert. The Good Society (1991);

Coughlin, Richard.  Morality, Rationality, and Efficiency (1991);

Etzioni, Amitai. The Essential Communitarian Reader (1998);

     -     The New Golden Rule (1996);

     -     New Communitarian Thinking (1995);

     -     The Spirit of Community (1993);

     -     Happiness is the Wrong Metric: A Liberal Communitarian Response to Populism (2018);

     -     Law and Society in a Populist Age: Balancing Individual Rights and the Common Good (2018);

     -     Reclaiming Patriotism (2019);

MacIntyre, A. After Virtue. (1981);

Mulhall, S. and Swift, A. Liberals and Communitarians (1992);

Paul, Ellen Franken, at all. (eds.) The Communitarian Challenge to Liberalism (1996);

Sandel, M. Liberalism and the Limits of Justice (1982);

Selznick, Philip  The Moral Commonwealth (1992);

Taylor, C. Philosophical Arguments (1995);

Walzer, M. Spheres of Justice (1983).