What does communalization mean?
Communalization is the process of making something communal: organizing it for shared use, collective management, or common ownership. In political and social-science writing, the term can describe the transfer of a resource, institution, or practice from individual or private control to a community. It may also characterize the development of shared customs or practices that bind people together. Its meaning is narrower than simple cooperation because it focuses on a change in how something is organized or governed. The term is relatively uncommon and sounds more formal and analytical than everyday alternatives such as sharing or working together. Nevertheless, it is useful because it names both an outcome and a process: a community can arrive at communal ownership, shared management, or common use, and that transition can be analyzed as communalization. The related verb communalize means to make something communal, while community, commune, and communion share the same Latin root communis, meaning common or shared. Depending on style guide and region, the noun is also written communalisation in British English.
nounThe act or process of making something communal, especially by organizing it for shared use, collective management, or common ownership.
- The act or process of making something communal, especially by organizing it for shared use, collective management, or common ownership.
"The proposal called for the communalization of the town's water supply, replacing private meters with a shared system."
"The proposal called for the communalization of the town's water supply, replacing private meters with a shared system."
"The anthropologist examined communalization, noting how shared rituals transformed individual habits into collective practice."
The plural is rare because communalization is normally used as an uncountable process noun.
"The study compared two communalizations of the shared resource in neighboring communities."
The key move in communalization is not merely sharing, but making sharedness the organizing principle.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does communalization come from?
Communalization was formed in English by adding the suffix -ization to communal. The adjective communal comes through French from Latin communalis, ultimately derived from communis, meaning common or shared. Related English words include community, commune, and communion.
Related word forms
How communalization is actually used
The word is formal and relatively uncommon, appearing chiefly in academic, political, and social-science writing. It usually names a process rather than a person or thing. British English often uses the spelling communalisation, while communalization is the usual American spelling.
Easily confused with communalization
Communalism is a political principle or practice favoring community organization and shared ownership, whereas communalization is the process of making something communal.