Of Shoulders and Shadows: Selected Amish Scholarship before 1963

Donnermeyer, Joseph F.

doi:10.18061/1811/81527

Cited by 5 publications

(3 citation statements)

References 10 publications

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“…His functionalism is value-free. He thus stands in the Charles Loomis (1960) tradition (Donnermeyer 2017) and skirts Marc Olshan's (1981) then-current rational choice alternative, for Enninger appears unconvinced that the Amish are so self-consciously rational, not that they do not rationalize, but that it has taken on a routinized, predictable form that in itself is properly latent.…”

Section: Werner Enninger's Theory Of the Amishmentioning

confidence: 97%

The Undistinguished Scholar of the Amish, Werner Enninger, -or- Has the Time Yet Come for Rigorous Theory in Amish Studies?

Anderson¹

2017

Journal of Amish and Plain Anabaptist Studies

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Werner Enninger embodies the highest standards of methodological rigor and theoretical insight in Amish studies, and this article synthesizes his 30-some publications written in English. Enninger was a socio-linguist from Germany who conducted field research in Delaware in the 1970s and published intensely in the 1980s. His mixed methods address common hurdles field researchers face and offer meticulously detailed qualitative and quantitative data. Enninger's theory can be organized around a social system model that fuses structural functionalism and symbolic interactionism. Within the model, he proposes a four-part superstructure-(1) core, group-defining values, namely, religious community and separation, (2) are realized in concrete norms in timeless (e.g. New Testament) and time-specific (e.g. Ordnung) ways (3) that are internalized, (4) producing an orderly role system. The role system is accessible to system actors, who assume roles through identifiable symbols (role attributes), notably, dress configurations. Mutual identification of alter distributes role privileges in the ensuing interaction and triggers language choice. The enactment of roles defines the social situation. Social situations of central importance to the brotherhood have fixed roles that are assumed and ascribed, with strong sanctions for deviance. Peripheral social situations permit greater role making, where roles are negotiated, ascribed statuses are reduced, and social sanctions are fewer. Peripheral social situations are the primary source for social change. Enninger's work is not for the faint-of-mind or impatient, yet provides a much-needed source of inspiration to strengthen future Amish studies research, theoretically and methodologically.

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Section: Werner Enninger's Theory Of the Amishmentioning

confidence: 97%

The Undistinguished Scholar of the Amish, Werner Enninger, -or- Has the Time Yet Come for Rigorous Theory in Amish Studies?

Anderson¹

2017

Journal of Amish and Plain Anabaptist Studies

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“…The Amish population numbers well over 300,000 and is doubling every 21 years—a window that has been narrowing the past century, not widening (Donnermeyer ). When scholars first come to Amish studies, they are inevitably confronted with NWM and often adopt it uncritically or work in its shadow (Donnermeyer ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A Critical Appraisal of Amish Studies’ De Facto Paradigm, “Negotiating with Modernity”

Anderson

Donnermeyer

Longhofer

et al. 2019

Scientific Study of Religion

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The predominant paradigm for Amish research over the past three decades has been “negotiating with modernity” (NWM). NWM explains how the Amish as a distinctive American culture and religion have overcome the threats modernity poses to their existence. This article argues that NWM has been accepted and replicated uncritically and without empirical testing due to properties making it inherently untestable. We first synthesize the central NWM literature, as the paradigm has never been fully constructed in one place. We then call attention to two sets of impairments that prevent empirical tests. First, the perspective contains several logical fallacies and terminology problems. NWM reifies “the Amish” as its unit of analysis; creates circular variable relationships (the Amish are Amish because they are not something else); employs terms problematically, notably “modernity” and “modernization”; dichotomizes phenomena; and is grounded in no particular theoretical tradition. Second, we argue that the production of knowledge within core NWM literature has not been sufficiently substantiated. Data collection procedures and methodological strategies are unclear or undefined and scientific peer review is relatively low. We conclude by suggesting more promising theoretical directions for Amish studies.

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“…12 Harold E. Cross, telephone interview by the author, Feb. 25, 2020. Both of Cross's parents were of Amish background, though most members of their and his generations became Amish-Mennonites or Conservative Mennonites; one of Harold's first cousins, MahlonCross, Jr. (1937-2017, remained Old Order Amish his entire life.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

The Emergence of Amish Genetic Studies: A Brief History of Collaboration and Reciprocity

Nolt

2020

JPAC

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Since the 1960s, Amish genetic studies has become a significant arena of collaboration between medical researchers and Old Order Anabaptists. This article describes the origins of and early actors in this field of research and pushes beyond the handful of cursory accounts that focus exclusively on Dr. Victor McKusick, central though he was, to include the critical contributions of other researchers, physicians, and Amish liaisons. The collective work of these individuals quickly pointed to four areas of ongoing inquiry: the cultural context of health and illness, documentation of known but very rare conditions, identification of previously undocumented conditions and diseases, and demography. A remarkable feature of this early research was its interdisciplinary nature and its collaborative engagement with Amish people. That collaboration resulted not only in numerous medical breakthroughs, but also in expanded settlement directories and updated family genealogies, which Amish communities embraced, replicated, and came to regard as valuable community resources.

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Of Shoulders and Shadows: Selected Amish Scholarship before 1963

Cited by 5 publications

References 10 publications

The Undistinguished Scholar of the Amish, Werner Enninger, -or- Has the Time Yet Come for Rigorous Theory in Amish Studies?

The Undistinguished Scholar of the Amish, Werner Enninger, -or- Has the Time Yet Come for Rigorous Theory in Amish Studies?

A Critical Appraisal of Amish Studies’ De Facto Paradigm, “Negotiating with Modernity”

The Emergence of Amish Genetic Studies: A Brief History of Collaboration and Reciprocity

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