JONESTOWN SURVIVOR Presenting at Communal Studies Association Conference

Information Concerning this Archived Site

Source: https://jonestownsurvivor.com (Inactive)

This is the archive of a large website of articles and blogs published in conjunction with the book, Jonestown Survivor: An Insider’s Look. The book and all the material in this archive were written by Laura Johnston Kohl, a member of Peoples Temple who survived the tragedy in Jonestown by being in Guyana’s capital city of Georgetown on 18 November 1978.

Following the twentieth anniversary of the Jonestown tragedy, Ms. Johnston Kohl became a prolific writer and active public speaker, work she continued to do until shortly before her death on 19 November 2019. She also made herself available to family members of those who perished in Guyana and scholars who try to understand the calamity of the ending. Finally, she was a generous contributor of articles and remembrances for the Alternative Considerations site, all of which may be found here.

In the interest of preserving the information from her site for future generations of Jonestown scholars and researchers, the managers of this site obtained permission from Laura’s husband Ron Kohl to archive her work in its entirety. Both the archive and the book itself are published with his permission.

JONESTOWN SURVIVOR Presenting at Communal Studies Association Conference

April 20, 2014

I have been presenting my scholarly research papers at the Communal Studies Association Conference for seven years. Two years ago, I was elected to the Board of Directors of the CSA. This year, the Conference will be in Amana, Iowa on October 9-11.

The conference theme this year is: “Form Follows Faith: The Influence of Belief on the Architecture and Crafts of American Communal Societies.” Papers that explore the ways in which religious and social beliefs and ideals informed the distinctive community and social organization, architecture, crafts and other products of communal societies are encouraged.

Laura Johnston Kohl Abstract:

Form follows Faith: The Influence of Belief on the Architecture and Crafts of American Communal Societies.

JONESTOWN ARCHITECTURE AND CRAFTS
I was a member and resident of Peoples Temple both in California and in Guyana, from 1970 through 1978. In the United States and in Georgetown, Guyana, we moved into pre-existing buildings. In Jonestown, we constructed the entire community according to our belief in communalism and equality.

In Jonestown, residents created crafts and other products which could be used in the community or bartered for supplies we needed.

I will bring a power point presentation of the Jonestown structures, inside and out, and the architectural map of our community. I will discuss the property layout of Jonestown and our thinking as we built our community. I will also bring photos of some of the Jonestown crafts.

Laura Johnston Kohl
Bilingual Educator and Author
Member, Board of Directors CSA

Archived Site: Jonestown Survivor

Information Concerning this Archived Site

Testimonials

Member

JONESTOWN SURVIVOR Presenting at Communal Studies Association Conference