On Stony Ground: Russl nder Mennonites and the Rebuilding of Community in Grunthal

by James Urry

Overview

On Stony Ground presents a historical ethnographic account of a generation of Mennonites from the Soviet Union who, following Russia’s revolution and civil war, immigrated to Manitoba during the 1920s. James Urry examines how they came to terms with a new land and with their new neighbours, including other Mennonites, Ukrainians, French Canadians, and Indigenous Peoples.

The book discusses the impact of the Great Depression and how the immigrants struggled with their identity in Canada as Hitler and Stalin rose to power in Germany and the USSR. It reveals the immigrants’ desire to maintain their faith, language, and culture while encouraging their children to take advantage of an education conducted mainly in English. On Stony Ground explores how prosperity following the Second World War helped the immigrants to build a community in conjunction with others, including Mennonites and non-Mennonites, and to accept their new home in Canada.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781487547370
Publisher:	University of Toronto Press
Publication date:	05/03/2024
Series:	Transnational Mennonite Studies , #2
Pages:	384
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 1.00(d)
Age Range:	18 Years

About the Author

James Urry is an anthropologist and historian who has published widely on Mennonites and the history of anthropology.

Table of Contents

Preface

Acknowledgments

Abbreviations

Introduction

1. Russia and Canada: The Consequences of the First World War

2. Russländer Mennonites Find Homes

3. The Bases of Community

4. Re-establishing Institutions

5. Schools and Education

6. Debts, Depression, and a New Grunthal

7. Old and New World Politics

8. Conflicted Identities

9. The War Years

10. Post-War Prosperity

11. A United and Divided Community

12. Generational Succession and Transition

13. Becoming Canadian

Conclusion

Appendixes

1. Elim Congregation Statistics (Baptised Members / Families / Totals 1927–c.1980)

2. Agreement with the International Company over Land on East Reserve

Bibliography

Editorial Reviews

“After making his scholarly mark a generation ago as the expert on Mennonite life in the Russian Empire, James Urry now lends his keen anthropological eye to a microanalysis of a single village: Grunthal, Manitoba. Here, as always, he boldly exposes the rich internal social dynamics of different socioeconomic classes, competing faith persuasions, and distinctive settler groups within a Mennonite population.”—Royden Loewen, Senior Scholar, University of Winnipeg
“Based on decades of research, this ethnographic study of one small prairie community fills a gap in understanding the settlement experience of Russländer Mennonites. Once again, James Urry demonstrates his detailed and masterful use of multiple sources to analyse the many dimensions of an immigrant community in Canada – their economic challenges, political affinities, cultural contributions, institutional differences, and integration struggles. Urry does not flinch from describing the foibles of the Russländers in equal balance to their strengths, revealing them to be simultaneously colourful and plain.”—Marlene Epp, Professor Emeritus of History, Conrad Grebel University College, University of Waterloo
“Urry paints a rich portrait of a Canadian Mennonite village’s entanglement with the national and global processes that defined Canada’s twentieth century. On Stony Ground transcends the realm of local history to show how a quintessential Russländer Mennonite community was entangled with Canada’s dynamic twentieth century. On Stony Ground is a deeply researched book with a firm sense of place.”—John P.R. Eicher, Associate Professor of History, Pennsylvania State University-Altoona

From the Publisher