From the early 1960s to the late 1980s, John A. Hostetler was the world's premier scholar of Amish life. This book contains four essays in which Hostetler is the primary subject. The second half reprints in chronological order fourteen key writings by Hostetler with commentaries and annotations by Weaver-Zercher.
FORMAT Hardcover LANGUAGE English CONDITION Brand NewFrom the early 1960s to the late 1980s, John A. Hostetler was the world's premier scholar of Amish life. Hailed by his peers for his illuminating and sensitive portrayals of this oft-misunderstood religious sect, Hostetler successfully spanned the divide between popular and academic culture, thereby shaping perceptions of the Amish throughout American society. He was also outspoken in his views of the modern world and of the Amish world - views that continue to stir debate today. Born into an Old Order Amish family in 1918, Hostetler came of age in an era when the Amish were largely dismissed as a quaint and declining culture, a curious survival with little relevance for contemporary American life. That perception changed during Hostetler's career, for not only did the Amish survive during these decades, they demonstrated a stunning degree of cultural vitality - which Hostetler observed, analyzed, and interpreted for millions of interested readers. Writing the Amish both recounts and assesses Hostetler's Amish-related work.The first half of the book consists of four reflective essays - by Donald Kraybill, Simon Bronner, David Weaver-Zercher, and Hostetler himself - in which Hostetler is the primary subject. The second half reprints in chronological order fourteen key writings by Hostetler with commentaries and annotations by Weaver-Zercher. Taken together, these writings, supplemented by a comprehensive bibliography of Hostetler's publications, provide ready access to the Hostetler corpus and the tools by which to evaluate his work, his intellectual evolution, and his legacy as a scholar of Amish and American life. Moreover, by providing a window into the varied worlds of John A. Hostetler - his Amish boyhood, his Mennonite Church milieu, his educational pursuits, his scholarly career, and his vocation as a mediator and advocate for Amish life - this volume enhances the ongoing discussion of how ethnographic representation pertains to America's most renowned folk culture, the Old Order Amish.
David L. Weaver-Zercher is Associate Professor of American Religious History at Messiah College. He is the author of The Amish in the American Imagination (2001).
ContentsList of IllustrationsForewordAnn HostetlerPreface and AcknowledgmentsDavid L. Weaver-ZercherPart I: Perspectives on John A. Hostetler1. An Amish BeginningJohn A. Hostetler, with Susan Fisher Miller2. The Redemptive Community: An Island of Sanity and SilenceDonald B. Kraybill3. Plain Folk and Folk Society: John A. Hostetler's Legacy of the Little CommunitySimon J. Bronner4. An Uneasy Calling: John A. Hostetler and the Work of Cultural MediationDavid L. Weaver-ZercherPart II: Writings of John A. Hostetler5. Letter to Amish Bishops Concerning Shunning (1944)6. Toward a New Interpretation of Sectarian Life in America (1951)7. Excerpt from Amish Life (1952)8. God Visits the Amish (1954)9. Why Is Everybody Interested in the Pennsylvania Dutch? (1955)10. The Amish Use of Symbols and Their Function in Bounding the Community (1964)11. Persistence and Change Patterns in Amish Society (1964)12. The Amish Way of Life Is at Stake (1966)13. Old Order Amish Child Rearing and Schooling Practices: A Summary Report (1970)14. Folk Medicine and Sympathy Healing Among the Amish (1976)15. The Amish and the Law: A Religious Minority and Its Legal Encounters (1984)16. Marketing the Amish Soul (1984)17. A New Look at the Old Order (1987)18. Toward Responsible Growth and Stewardship of Lancaster County's Landscape (1989)The Life of John A. Hostetler: A ChronologyThe Publications of John A. Hostetler: A BibliographyContributorsIndex
"John Hostetler's quiet influence has reached every aspect of Amish studies. He knows more about the Amish than anyone else, for he combines the experience of being raised Amish, of having Amish siblings, with academic studies on most aspects of Amish culture. . . . But his contributions have gone much further than academia. By influencing the dominant culture, he has contributed to the growth and survival of the culture he chose to leave."—Gertrude E. Huntington
"Hostetler's own writings in the book provide explanation and insight into Amish culture, offering interesting and little-known insight into the Amish way of life."—Lisa Kellar Pittsburgh Magazine
"Anyone interested in John Hostetler the person and scholar needs to read this volume. Anyone interested in John's enormous contribution to scholarship and the public understanding of the Amish will find here a fascinating analysis. Anyone interested in the tensions of the scholarly enterprise amidst the pressures of communal and public expectations needs this book as well."—John A. Lapp Pennsylvania Mennonite Heritage
"This text covers the subject well and is recommended for school and public libraries."—Al Holliday Pennsylvania Magazine
"This insightful and important book, which captures the life of a complex man, opens with a series of chapters by a daughter, colleagues and other scholars who have carefully followed the development of his career and influences."—Thomas J. Meyer Mennonite Quarterly Review
"The book brings into focus many facets of Hostetler's lifework and relates them to one another in an effective and compelling survey."—Steven D. Reschly Pennsylvania Magazine of History and Biography
"Writing the Amish both recounts and assesses Hostetler's Amish-related work.
&"This text covers the subject well and is recommended for school and public libraries.&" &-Al Holliday, Pennsylvania Magazine
At The Nile, if you're looking for it, we've got it. With fast shipping, low prices, friendly service and well over a million items - you're bound to find what you want, at a price you'll love!