The Amish Community: the Effects of Subsistence on Aspects

The Amish Comm unit of measurementy The Effects of Subsistence on Aspects of a Culture Tristin Bovee ANT 101 Ilda Jimenez y westward October 29, 2012 The Amish Community The Effects of Subsistence on Aspects of a Culture Any person who observes an Amish community may fool a glimpse of a lifestyle that looks as if it adheres to no modicum of logic. Why would a whole grouping of slew choose to be intimate without the technology that makes life so much easier? The answer is simple and dim-witted cultural preservation.The Amish are culturally aware of themselves, and as such(prenominal) have put forth the exertion to sustain their traditions and way of life for hundreds of long time (Kraybill, 2001). The further technology advances in the world outside of the Amish community, the broader the Amish lifestyle becomes from the modernistic American culture amongst which they live. However, if the Amish belief system is viewed from an anthropological perspective, their values and rea soning is much to a greater extent understandable to modern thinkers. There are many different sects of the Amish belief system but for the interest group of simplicity, this paper ordain concentrate on the Old Order Amish.The Amish assent sprung out of traditional Protestantism in the sixteenth century. Then referred to as Anabaptists, the Amish believed that baptism should non occur in children or infants, but only in adults that can make the decision for themselves (Kraybill, 2001). They also called for a separation among church and state, and a over outlet to literal interpretation of the bible. Suffering extreme persecution for their beliefs, the Amish fled to northern Europe to escape harsh treatment from political science and religious leaders alike (Fischetti, 1997).While living in these remote regions, the Amish grew dependent on agriculture for their livelihood. agriculture has been the primary mode of Amish life ever since. Many Amish beliefs today are stemmed from their subsistence strategy of rising agriculture. Body The most widely known belief of the Amish community involves the refusal to use electricity or modern technology, such as television, in their home offices. The Amish belief system is centered around family and community values and as such, they hold a strong conviction that modern technology shatters those relationships (Fischetti, 1997).The use of electricity opens the doors for mass media watch which holds the possibility of fracturing Amish traditional values. The very values that the Amish hold are a result of their emerging agricultural subsistence. When livelihood depends on bringing in crops and dairying, community and family are the primary modes of labor, and cooperation is of the utmost greatness in order to maintain their way of life. Some analysts argue that the individualism seen in modern cultures is caused primarily by industrialization (Kraybill, 2001).By avoiding modern technology and said industrializati on, the Amish believe they are maintaining their closely knit communities. From the etic perspective, this may be to limit the quality of life that the Amish live, especially their youth, but from an emic perspective, this is the lifestyle that they know fits for them and does not scrap what they believe. Amish adults are only looking out for the wellbeing of their children on a spiritual level. Like roach societies, the Amish do not believe in accumulating wealth they believe in having what one needs to survive.Beyond enduring, what is great to them is helping each other, which is an aspect in most cultures that grow or forage for their own food (Marlow, 1996). Amish and band societies have much in car park, such as their reciprocal economic system of familiar reciprocity. A reciprocal economic system is a variety of trade between family members (Nowak & Laird, 2010). General reciprocity is an exchange without an instant return or a determined value of the trade (Nowak & L aird, 2010) this is what the Amish community radiation diagrams between members.Within the Amish, assistance or supplies are given freely to those who are in need of it the provider knows that anyone in their society would do the aforementioned(prenominal) for them under similar circumstances. Due to their belief in self-sufficiency at heart their community, the Amish do not believe in government assistance. Coupled with the collective Amish decline of private wellness care, one may wonder how they pay for medical checkup expenses their church and community. The Amish church picks up most medical costs, and what it does not cover is picked up by the individual family and community.The Amish lifestyle is based upon the literal interpretation of the Christian bible, as well as a set of unwritten, adaptable guidelines called the Amish Ordnung. The Amish Ordnung provides the Amish community with cultural capital, or sense of the morals, principles, convictions and responsibilities o f Amish life (Kraybill, 2001). It outlines correct behavior, clothing choice and technologies that are deemed acceptable for use without fear of destroying the family (Donnermeyer & Friedrich, 2002). The guidelines that the Amish Ordnung outlines are changeable.This is to damp facilitate solutions toward the difficulties of living in contemporary society while maintaining their cultural heritage and beliefs (Donnermeyer & Friedrich, 2002). While many people living in modern society have faith of some kind, the Amish live their faith every day. Every aspect of their life is centered around their biblical interpretations and beliefs. Family and community are a huge part of the Amish belief system which is evident by the way their kinship systems work and live together. The Amish are a patriarchal society.Men are the breadwinners and thus the head of the signhold women ensure the up hold open of the home and the upbringing of the children (Donnermeyer & Friedrich, 2002). These gender roles begin at a very young age. In some societies, such as pastoralist societies, this division of labor via gender creates an environment of inequality in favor of male family members (Nowak & Laird, 2010). This is not the case in an Amish abode each family member is respected and valued for the person they are, and also for the work they accomplish.The strong nuclear family and the division of labor being gender-based provide the Amish with a strategy to impress upon their children the importance of their beliefs (Donnermeyer & Friedrich, 2002). Young members of an Amish community are not required to be baptized into their faith until eighteen years of age (Kraybill, 2001). Eighteen years living within an Amish community results in these kids knowing nothing else and it is oft easy for them to make the decision to continue living their experienced lifestyle. However, should anAmish child refuse, they would be shunned. Shunning is the practice within the Amish community of exco mmunicating members who do not hold to the community beliefs. Most parents would like to keep their children as close as possible, which is just another motivation for immersing their children in the Amish world in order to keep them from being shunned. Often, two or three generations of extended families live in neighboring homes and work the same farmland. This is because a large part of who makes up an Amish community is determined by geographic proximity (Kraybill, 2001).Amish grandparents will a great deal retire to a home on the farm referred to as a dowdy house (Donnermeyer & Friedrich, 2002). These practices demonstrate the provision of a support system through all stages of life. Societies which practice agriculture for subsistence often establish large families to assist with the amount of labor required for farming (Nowak & Laird, 2010). This is demonstrated in Amish families, which on average produce six children per nuclear family (Kraybill, 2001). However, agriculture is becoming less common amongst Amish communities as there is light farmland large enough to accommodate them.This has led many Amish families to recognize the importance of family planning, since little farming requires less farm labor and family assistance with farm chores (Donnermeyer & Friedrich, 2002). In addition, many Amish families have move to selling crafted items to supplement the income lost from the declining amounts of agriculture. In the book, Riddle of Amish Culture, author Donald Kraybill (2001) states that the hallmark of Amish society has been a close-knit, highly integrated community where the threads of social life are woven into a single framework that stretches from cradle to grave (pg. 19, para. 4).This quote emphasizes the Amish social life centering on family, community and church from extradite to death. Social activity in the Amish community can be described in three oral communication family, community, and church. Amish society is organized into t hree basic social units. The first unit, the settlement, consists of Amish families living within a common location and typically ranges in size from a dozen families to several thousand. The second unit, the district, is the organizational unit above the family and refers to the church. One church district usually includes twenty-five to thirty-five families within the immediate area.The third base unit, affiliation, is the collection of church districts that hold similar religious practices and cooperate with each other (Kraybill, 2001). Amish children are taught in parochial schools, in which the highest level of education achieved is the eighth grade (Kraybill, 2001). The Amish believe that their way of life does not require more than an eighth grade education most Amish children know how to run a household well before they finish their schooling. Conclusion If it werent for their way of life, they would have been acclimated to societal norms long ago.However, the Amish people are capable of seeing the world from an emic and etic perspective, ostensibly at the same time. Because of this awareness, they are able to take the correct steps to ensuring the survival of their cultural and spiritual beliefs. REFERENCES Donnermeyer, J. F. , & Friedrich, L. (2002). Amish society? An overview reconsidered. Journal of Multicultural Nursing & Health, 8(3), 14. Retrieved from http//search. proquest. com/docview/220297959? accountid=32521 Fischetti, P. R. (1997). The Amish. Washington, unify States Educational Extension Systems. Retrieved from http//search. roquest. com/docview/189310852? accountid=32521 Kraybill, D. B. (2001). Riddle of Amish Culture (Revised Ed. ). Baltimore, MD, USA John Hopkins Univeristy Press. Retrieved from http//site. ebrary. com/lib/ashford/docDetail. action? docID=10021650&ppg=2 Marlow, E. (1996). Teaching active another culture? The Old Order Amish. The Social Studies, 87(4), 161. Retrieved from http//search. proquest. com/docview/274834 778? accountid=32521 Nowak, B. , & Laird, P. (2010). Cultural Anthropology. San Diego, CA Bridgepoint Education, Inc. Retrieved from https//content. ashford. edu/books/AUANT101. 10. 2/sections/ch00