Mirror on Modernity: Growing Up Amish in the 21st Century
Mirror on Modernity: Growing Up Amish in the 21st Century
(15) Mirror on Modernity: Growing Up Amish in the 21st Century - David McConnell, Department of Sociology and Anthropology
The Amish are widely regarded as a quaint remnant of a simple, agrarian way of life, yet the notion of the Amish as a vestige of a bygone era could not be further from the truth. In recent decades, the Amish have undergone a dramatic economic transformation, moving away from farming and into thriving cottage industries. As a result of this increased economic integration with the broader society, Amish youth growing up today must constantly adapt to the modern world even as they try to maintain their own cultural compass. This seminar will examine how the Amish struggle to remain separate sheds light on the assumption and practices that underlie our signature modern institutions: schools, families, churches, government, companies, and hospitals. Using Amish society as a mirror, we will explore the tensions between individualism and community life, the cultural implications of new technologies, changes in gender and race relations, the debate over religious freedom, the merits of experiential versus book learning, and much more. As part of this semester-long journey to see ourselves through the lens of an alternative cultural possibility, we will visit an Amish school and take a field trip to the nearby Holmes County Settlement, the largest Amish community in the world.