Privatism is a generic term describing any belief that people have a right to the private ownership of certain things. There are many degrees of privatism, from the advocacy of limited private property over specific kinds of items to the advocacy of unrestricted private property over everything.

In general, privatism is used in the context of radical left-wing politics (communism, syndicalism, revolutionary socialism), to distinguish those who support some kind of private property from those who want private property abolished altogether.

In Sociology, privatism is the concern with or pursuit of one's personal or family interests, welfare, or ideals to the exclusion of broader social issues or relationships. It has been argued that privatism is on the increase in wealthy western societies.

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• Propertarian