Amish Mennonites as an Inseparable Part of European and American History - Research Paper Example

?The Amish The Amish also popularly referred to as Amish Mennonites, have been an inseparable part of European and American history, and have been a subject of research with regard to anthropological studies over the years. Their simple lifestyles and conventional attitudes in the contemporary world, is an issue of great significance and interest among the researchers. This paper discusses various key issues related to the Amish people and their community including their primary modes of subsistence, their beliefs and value systems; economic organization; gender relations; kinship; political organization; sickness and healing; social change; as well as their overall social organization. Introduction: The Amish movement which originated in Europe was initiated by a reform group in order to reestablish the conventional practices as followed by the Mennonites. The Amish community migrated to the United States during the early eighteenth century and have settled in various parts across the country, ever since, including Pennsylvania, Ohio, Missouri, Illinois, Indiana, and New York. The Amish community has historically strived to uphold the values and culture of seventeenth century Europe by restraining from accepting and adopting any aspect of contemporary life offered by modern society, thus leading to their social isolation from the present day popular/ mainstream culture/ society. There are however various subgroups formed among the Amish community such as the Old Order, New Order and Andy Weaver Amish groups, who believe in and follow different ideologies and have accepted different degrees of modernity in their everyday lives (Kraybill and Stephen, 2004). Primary mode of subsistence: The Amish community has historically been closely associated with the soil and activities associated with the same. The Amish people have been and are agriculturists and have worked as farmers on their family owned farms during the early 1960s (Lowry, 1997). In fact most of the Amish people still continue to work on farms and are predominantly viewed as agricultural by occupation. However with the rapidly changing external environment, there has been a simultaneous and corresponding impact and change in the patterns of Amish occupations, which have now shifted from farm based to non-farm based activities in recent times. Furthermore the rising land prices as a result of rapid urbanization have also pushed the Amish community to look for other sources of occupation (Pandit and Withers 1999; Bingham and Eberts, 1990; Ayres, 1998). Farming as well as other farm based occupations such as livestock rearing and /or animal husbandry still has retained precedence over other occupations within the Amish community although statistics suggest that hardly ten percent of the Amish population is now actively involved in farming and agricultural activities during the last century. The Amish farmers have increasingly included and integrated non-farm based activities with their primary occupations. In recent decades various Amish communities have started actively participating in small business activities as their occupation with employees less than ten. Most of these businesses are associated with wood production for household use, building barns and gazebos etc., while others have opened bakeries and quilt shops as well, thus engaging in profitable business ventures. Furthermore several Amish groups are now also involved in construction businesses while others have started working in factories in and around small towns (Kraybill and Nolt, 2004). Impact of primary mode of subsistence on the Amish culture: As discussed previously, the Amish community is primarily an agricultural based community, where a majority of Amish men are still involved in farming and other farm based activities. It is on account of this reason that their lifestyles are fundamentally based around farming and agricultural activities. However with the rapid pace of change in the external environment brought about by urbanization has forced the Amish men to take up non-farm based jobs to sustain themselves, however various aspects of their lives are still dependent and based on a farming society. Thus, needless to add; the values and belief systems of the Amish groups are significantly inter-related and dependent on their traditional occupation i.e. agriculture. The shift from farm based to non-farm based activities has hence led to a great impact and has largely influenced their lifestyles changing their values and beliefs in the process. Beliefs and values One of the most fundamental aspects of Amish communities is their belief that agriculture is the appropriate way of life since that is how God wanted them to lead their lives and earn their livelihoods. They believe that agriculture and other farm based activities helps them remain in touch with the natural world / environment and hence closer to God. However, due to recent developments and changes influenced by urbanization and globalization, many Amish men are forced to give up their traditional sources of occupation and accept and partake in non-farm based activities to earn their livelihoods. Furthermore there has been a significant increase in the Amish population over the decades, thus leaving very little land available for farming. The economic pressures leading to a sharp rise in land prices is another crucial factor which made accessibility to land, a difficult and expensive choice. Thus in the recent years, it has become virtually impossible for some groups to rely on agriculture as their main source of livelihood (Lowery and Noble, 2000). Gender relations Since farming has traditionally been an inherent aspect of the Amish communities, their values are greatly influenced by the same. The parents usually teach their children to learn to adapt their lives in accordance with their occupation, for instance the Amish boys are taught to work on farms while the girls are taught to take care of their households. Their basic education is based and centered on farming, and they learn their values through farming activities. Such division of labor is known to teach the basic values and virtues of hard work and responsibility to the children at a very young age. It teaches the young children to be a part of their family and contribute something worthwhile thus giving them a sense of responsibility and self-worth in the process, and at the same time encourages positive bonds and relationships among the family members. It also provides the children as well as the adults a distinct sense of identity. Most importantly, engaging in farming and farm based activities, over the years, has helped the Amish communities to stay together, aloof from the changes taking place in the outside world, and providing them an opportunity to protect and preserve their basic culture, beliefs and values (Schwieder, Moraian, and Schwieder, 2009). However due to the recent changes in the structure of occupation among the Amish communities, due to the shift from farm based to non-farm based activities, the Amish men who previously used to work on their family farms are now being forced to look for employment outside their communities. This has drastically changed the gender roles and relations, since now that the men / fathers are away from homes; the children are left under the sole care of their mothers, thus leading to greater responsibility for the women and a significant change in the family dynamics. The father now has very little or no influence over their children, since most of their time is spent away from homes in search of livelihoods (Hosteltler, 1993). Economic organization The Amish way of life is characterized by renunciation of modern technological advancements and self-imposed social isolation, in a bid to protect and preserve their traditional and natural way of life. Their primary of choice of occupation hence, is largely indicative of their strong beliefs and values and the economic organization of their societies is hence based on such belief systems. Their idea of economic development is influenced by their reliance on traditional occupations and the belief that economic independence and development can be achieved without any reliance on modern technology. Their choice of occupation is hence perceived as a way to perpetuate and endorse their religious beliefs. According to Penrose (1959) the Amish people, are now often seen as entrepreneurs, however they view entrepreneurship beyond monetary gains and dismiss it as solely associated with profit maximization. Furthermore the Amish communities traditionally viewed factory jobs as personally unrewarding and economically undependable (Foster, 1984). The shift in their primary sources of occupation to non-farm based activities has significantly influenced their economic organization as well. The Amish men are now working in factories, as well as setting up their own shops and as entrepreneurs, thus essentially going against their traditional beliefs and contradicting and sacrificing their personal values. Kinship The Amish communities are very close with regard to family ties and believe in maintaining close association with their fellow community members. They value human ties more than organizational ties and this is greatly reflected in the way their societies are formed and governed. They live and work in close association with each other and participate in all community / group activities as one single family. This is one of the main reasons why they abstain from involving the use of any type of technology, since in their view, technology deviates them from their purpose in life, and interferes with their conventional culture and values they endorse. It is on account of this very reason that they have so far successfully stayed away from relying on motor vehicles and other mechanized equipments. The children are taught about Amish way of life since childhood and are not encouraged to introspect and discover themselves, but rather are trained by their elders to fit into the Amish way of life (Stoll, 2002). Their close association with their groups and independence from usage of any modern forms of communication and transportation has helped them maintain close ties with each other and abstain from partaking in any activity that is viewed contrary to their conventional beliefs. However, due to the shift in their primary mode of subsistence, there is remarkable change in the occupational patterns among the Amish groups who are now compelled to do away with some (if not all) of their traditional beliefs and values, in order to adapt to the changing external environment. The Amish men are now moving out in search of livelihood, thus relinquishing their conventional roles as a father and husband, leaving their wives in charge of the households. The ties and close association between fathers and children which was originally possible due to farm jobs, are now becoming rare thus distancing the adult males from the younger generations. The family dynamics are changing rapidly as well, thus leading to a change in the overall societal structure. Political organization The Amish mostly follow their church groups and the word of God over any man made form of governance, although they do abide by civil laws and adhere to the restrictions imposed by the same. However, their church forbids the members of Amish communities from participating or holding office or supporting any form of political organization, since it tends to contradict their core values and beliefs which are supported by humility and simplicity. It is also perceived as a gross violation of their religious principles and values. However in contemporary times and due to a significant change among the Amish groups due to their varied occupations, they are now obliged by the government of respective states to pay taxes and both federal as well as state (Kraybill and Nolt, 2004). Although they are mostly self-governed and depend on their own communities for support, the change in occupation has made them dependent on other outside sources as well, thus bringing about a change in the internal dynamics of the community as well. As described by Borjas (1992) religion is an inherent element of social capital and the Amish people are strongly dedicated towards protecting and preserving their social capital by abstaining from participating in non-community based activities. However, the dynamics of the external environment has compelled them to move beyond their secure environments and relinquish their conventional beliefs and values in exchange for livelihood and self-sustenance. References: Ayre s, R.U. , (1 998). Eco-restructuring Implications for Sustainable Development. Washington: Brookings Institution Press. Bingham, R.D. and R .W. Eberts, (1990). Proceedings of the Midwest Economic Restructuring Conference. Cleveland: Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland. Borjas, G.J. (1992). Ethnic capital and intergenerational mobility, Quarterly Journal of Economics, Vol. 107, pp. 123-50. Foster, T.W. (1984). Occupational differentiation and change in an Ohio Amish settlement, Ohio Journal of Science, Vol. 84 No. 3, pp. 74-81. Hostetler, J. A., (1993). Amish society, JHU Press, Pp. 11-15 Kraybill, D. B., Nolt, S. M., (2004). Amish enterprise: From plows to profits, JHU Press, pp. 240-244 Lowery, S. and Noble, A.G. (2000). The changing occupational structure of the Amish of the Holmes County, Ohio, settlement”, The Great Lakes Geographer, Vol. 7 No. 1, pp. 26-37. Lowry, T. (1997). The tobacco farmers of Lancaster County”, Cigar Aficionado, March/April, pp. 120-9. Pandit, K. and S . Davies- Withers, (1999). Migration and Restructuring in the United States: A Geograp hic Perspec tive. Blue Ridge Summit, P A: Rowman and Littlefield. Penrose, E.T. (1959), The Theory of the Growth of the Firm, Basil Blackwell, Oxford. Schwieder, E., Morain, T., Schwieder, D., (2009). A peculiar people: Iowa's old order Amish, University of Iowa Press, Pp. 33-39 Stoll, S. (2002). Larding the Lean Earth: Soil and Society in Nineteenth-Century America, Hill and Wang, New York, NY. Read More