The Amish Struggle With Modernity: Donald B. Kraybill, Marc Alan Olshan: Amazon.com.au: Amazon US
The Amish Struggle With ModernityPaperback – 1 Sep 1994
by Donald B. Kraybill (Editor), Marc Alan Olshan (Editor)
4 out of 5 stars 2 reviews from Amazon.com
Throughout their history, the Amish communities of North America have tried to remain separate from the currents of progress that swirl in the larger society. The authors and others argue that although the nation’s nearly 140,000 Amish continue to resist the influence of worldly institutions, the communities have nonetheless acquiesced to modernity in significant ways. Such change has not been easy and The Amish Struggle with Modernity examines on a national scale dilemmas that arise when a people devoted to plain living face the complexities of modern life.
Review
Choice"
"This is certainly the best academic introduction to contemporary Amish Culture yet published. But it is also more than that--modernity comes under as much scrutiny as do the Amish. Rejecting all nostalgic approaches...the editors argue for a hardheaded appraisal of the Amish's ongoing 'warfare' against modernity--a warfare that is similar to the less intense resistances numerous other groups have also raised against the modern world."-- "Choice"
"This is certainly the best academic introduction to contemporary Amish Culture yet published. But it is also more than that--modernity comes under as much scrutiny as do the Amish. Rejecting all nostalgic approaches...the editors argue for a hardheaded appraisal of the Amish's ongoing 'warfare' against modernity--a warfare that is similar to the less intense resistances numerous other groups have also raised against the modern world."-- "Choice"
About the Author
DONALD B. KRAYBILL is Professor of Sociology at Elizabethtown College, Director of the Young Center for the Study of Anabaptist and Pietist Groups, and author of The Amish and the State (1993), Old Order Amish (1993), and The Riddle of Amish Culture (1989). MARC A. OLSON is Professor of Sociology at Alfred University and author of numerous articles on the Old Order Amish.
See all formats and editionsPaperback
$44.627 New from $39.21
Paperback: 304 pages
Publisher: Univ Pr of New England; New edition (1 September 1994)
Most helpful customer reviews on Amazon.com
Amazon.com: 4.0 out of 5 stars 2 reviews
So. Cal Resident
4.0 out of 5 starsworth the reading31 May 2010 - Published on Amazon.com
Verified Purchase
this is a great overview of the subject. good background and history. an easy read
S. Swallow
4.0 out of 5 starsA great look at a fascinating group26 July 2001 - Published on Amazon.com
This fascinating text was written to explore various facets of Amish culture and how these help and/or hinder the existence of this group of the modern world. There are two main authors, Kraybill and Olshan, however this book is a collection of essays about different topics. These articles are carefully organized to build the reader a base of Amish culture and then introduce some of the major conflicts within their society. It is concluded by theoretical pieces summarizing the effects of the issues already explored. Although this book is comprised of separate works, it is clear that three basic questions are approached in the course of reading the collection.
The first question is dealing with the what and the why. It discusses the premises and doctrines of Amish religion and why the people hold these beliefs. The most basic core of the belief structure is simply the Bible and their practices all stem from their interpretation of that. The book delves into those interpretations with such items as the appropriate usage of telephones, the dangers of pneumatic tires, and sources of approved energy.
The second aspect dealt with in depth is the outside world's reaction to them. Once again we get a vast array of information from the tourist who reserves a special Amish cooked meal to the feminist who critiques the submission of Amish women. More importantly the unfair stigmas we put on these people are brought out into the open, even the most seemingly harmless are questioned.
Finally, as the title tells, the struggle is related in the best detail possible without getting overly exhaustive and without being Amish oneself. The struggles entailed in the life of the Amish are due to the pressures of living within a "progressive" nation. Amish have been forced to recreate boundaries in practices when the education, economic security and organization of their commune are threatened by modernity.
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