communalidad

Communalidad, or comunalidad, is a concept used in anthropology and sociology to describe a form of social organization in which property, resources, and economic life are managed collectively by a community rather than by individuals. The term is especially associated with indigenous and rural communities in the Andean region and parts of the Amazon, and it is used to analyze how communal norms, institutions, and practices govern land use, labor, and reciprocity.

Core features include collective ownership or stewardship of land and resources, decision-making through communal assemblies or councils, obligation to contribute labor or goods for communal projects, and mutual aid as a normative principle. Governance is typically anchored in customary law and social institutions that mediate conflicts and coordinate activities such as farming, housing, or infrastructure.

Communalidad has been used to explain traditional forms of property and social welfare, as well as to discuss contemporary struggles over indigenous rights, territorial autonomy, and sustainable resource governance. In legal and policy debates, it is contrasted with private ownership or state control and is often invoked in discussions of recognizing customary law and indigenous governance. Critics caution against romanticizing precolonial social forms and note that actual communities exhibit diverse practices, hierarchies, gender dynamics, and external pressures.