Based on an ethnographic and comparative study conducted between 2015 and 2020 in nine eco-oriented communal living spaces, we propose in this presentation to reflect on the effectiveness of the form of collective action observed in these spaces. This form of action is termed “prefiguration,” following the English-language literature on collective protest action: prefiguration is based on a specific conception of social change, according to which macroscopic political transformations can result from the accumulation of microscopic, localized, and dispersed transformations. Field research indicates that belief in the effectiveness of prefiguration rests primarily on trajectories of individual conversion, where the effects are clear and observable. The specific effects of prefiguration on less localized scales, however, are more difficult to measure. These are primarily combined effects, brought about by the combination of prefiguration with other forms of collective action in the contemporary repertoire (mass demonstrations, petitions, occupations, legal action, etc.).

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