Nature and the Environment in Amish Life

by David L. McConnell, Marilyn D. Loveless

Overview

The Amish relationship to the environment is much more complicated than you might think.

The pastoral image of Amish communities living simply and in touch with the land strikes a deep chord with many Americans. Environmentalists have lauded the Amish as iconic models for a way of life that is local, self-sufficient, and in harmony with nature. But the Amish themselves do not always embrace their ecological reputation, and critics have long questioned the portrayal of the Amish as models of environmental stewardship.

In Nature and the Environment in Amish Life, David L. McConnell and Marilyn D. Loveless examine how this prevailing notion of the environmentally conscious Amish fits with the changing realities of their lives. Drawing on 150 interviews conducted over the course of 7 years, as well as a survey of household resource use among Amish and non-Amish people, they explore how the Amish understand nature in their daily lives and how their actions impact the natural world. Arguing that there is considerable diversity in Amish engagements with nature at home, at school, at work, and outdoors, McConnell and Loveless show how the Amish response to regional and global environmental issues, such as watershed pollution and climate change, reveals their deep skepticism of environmentalists. They also demonstrate that Amish households are not uniformly lower in resource use compared to their rural, non-Amish neighbors, though aspects of their home economy are relatively self-sufficient.

The first comprehensive study of Amish understandings of the natural world, this compelling book complicates the image of the Amish and provides a more realistic understanding of the Amish relationship with the environment.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781421426167
Publisher:	Johns Hopkins University Press
Publication date:	11/01/2018
Series:	Young Center Books in Anabaptist and Pietist Studies
Pages:	312
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.10(h) x 0.80(d)
Age Range:	18 Years

About the Author

David L. McConnell is a professor of anthropology at the College of Wooster. He is a coauthor of An Amish Paradox: Diversity and Change in the World's Largest Amish Community.

Marilyn D. Loveless is emeritus professor of biology at the College of Wooster.

Table of Contents

Preface
Acknowledgments

Chapter 1. Deciphering the Amish Relationship with Nature

Part I. Growing Up Rural
Chapter 2. Raising Children at Nature's Doorstep
Chapter 3. The Amish Ecological Footprint

Part II. Working with Nature
Chapter 4. The Transformation of Amish Agriculture
Chapter 5. The Forest for the Trees: The Wood-Products Industry
Chapter 6. Tinkering with Creation: Alternative Animal Breeding

Part III. Reconfiguring Leisure and the Outdoors
Chapter 7. Bringing Nature Home: From Gardening to Herbal and Natural Medicines
Chapter 8. Fin, Fur, and Feather: Nature-Based Recreation
Chapter 9. Observing and Writing Nature: Amish as Travelers and Authors

Part IV. The Amish as Environmentalists
Chapter 10. Acting Locally: Amish Responses to Regional Environmental Issues
Chapter 11. Thinking Globally: The Amish Ecological Imagination
Chapter 12. Parochial Stewards: The Amish Encounter with Nature and the Environment

Appendix: Methods
Notes
Bibliography
Index

What People are Saying About This

Donald B. Kraybill

"This trailblazing study shatters long-held stereotypes of Amish life. Loveless and McConnell's cross-disciplinary insights show the complexity of Amish entanglements with the natural environment. A spectacular achievement for its breadth, depth, readability, and nuanced scholarship."

Joseph F. Donnermeyer

"McConnell and Loveless break new ground, presenting readers with a comprehensive narrative on a full range of Amish beliefs and practices about the environment, from agriculture and forestry to hunting and birding. Nowhere before has any single book discussed these topics so comprehensively."

Bron Taylor

"This social-scientific study provides a fascinating window into, and judicious analysis of, the complex relationships between the Amish and their environment-related beliefs and practices. I highly recommend this volume both for its insights and as a model for mixed-methods research."

From the Publisher

Highly original and substantial; there is no other book devoted entirely to examining Amish relations to nature. Writing in a lively, clear, and engaging way, McConnell and Loveless highlight the diversity of beliefs and behaviors within the category of people known as the Amish.
—Jonathan G. Andelson, Grinnell College Center for Prairie Studies

McConnell and Loveless break new ground, presenting readers with a comprehensive narrative on a full range of Amish beliefs and practices about the environment, from agriculture and forestry to hunting and birding. Nowhere before has any single book discussed these topics so comprehensively.
—Joseph F. Donnermeyer, The Ohio State University, coauthor of A Quiet Moment in Time: A Contemporary View of Amish Society

This social-scientific study provides a fascinating window into, and judicious analysis of, the complex relationships between the Amish and their environment-related beliefs and practices. I highly recommend this volume both for its insights and as a model for mixed-methods research.
—Bron Taylor, University of Florida, author of Dark Green Religion: Nature Spirituality and the Planetary Future and editor of the Journal for the Study of Religion, Nature and Culture

This trailblazing study shatters long-held stereotypes of Amish life. McConnell and Loveless's cross-disciplinary insights show the complexity of Amish entanglements with the natural environment. A spectacular achievement for its breadth, depth, readability, and nuanced scholarship.
—Donald B. Kraybill, Elizabethtown College, author of The Riddle of Amish Culture

Jonathan G. Andelson

"Highly original and substantial; there is no other book devoted entirely to examining Amish relations to nature. Writing in a lively, clear, and engaging way, McConnell and Loveless highlight the diversity of beliefs and behaviors within the category of people known as the Amish."