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Useful in courses in religion and culture; an excellent supplementary text for courses in sociology... Amish and other minority groups... may be inspired and instructed by this heartening document.
Important for anyone interested in the interplay between a small, separate religious group and the dominant culture.
In developing the concept of cultural restraints, Kraybill and Nolt expand the ethnic economy literature that only discusses cultural resources, not restraints. This theoretical contribution is valuable because religious beliefs handicap Amish entrepreneurs in many serious ways.
The Amish lifestyle is changing, but the Amish grasp on the land is stronger than ever... The move of Amish into small businesses was documented by Donald B. Kraybill in his recent book, Amish Enterprise... Some Amish 'shopmen' no longer need to work dawn-to-dusk, as they did when tending dairy herds requiring 5 a.m. and 5 p.m. milkings. In this male-dominated society, some men are not the dominant influence in this cultural change because 'twenty percent of the businesses are operated by women.
Kraybill studied 1,000 Amish businesses in Lancaster County and found few cases of failure—and some big successes. Some 15 percent had sales over $100,000, and 7 percent had sales over half a million dollars.
At once sensitive and compassionate, this is a significant contribution to understanding how Amish culture is being transformed... This is scholarship at its best.
Provides yet another fine example of Kraybill and Nolt's excellent scholarship on and respect for the Amish people.
Admirably organized, clearly and engagingly written, and free from unnecessary jargon. While objective and independent in approach, Kraybill and Nolt display commendable respect for Amish principles and attitudes.
Amish Enterprise thoroughly documents the causes and consequences of Amish involvements in business... This book has many of the virtues of the people it studies. It represents thorough work, clear organization and carefully measured judgments. The authors are good story tellers as well as social analysts. The book deserves the acclaim it has received.
Amish Enterprise is a well-written, fascinating book on how the Old Order Amish cope with modernity.
About
Book Details
Publication Date
Status
Available
Trim Size
6
x 9
Pages
304
ISBN
9780801878053
Illustration Description
47 b&w illus.
Table of Contents
Preface
Acknowledgments
Part I: The Cultural Context
Chapter 1. The Roots of Amish Life
Part II: Cultural Resources for Entrepreneurship
Chapter 2. From Plows to Profits
Chapter 3. A Profile of Amish
Preface
Acknowledgments
Part I: The Cultural Context
Chapter 1. The Roots of Amish Life
Part II: Cultural Resources for Entrepreneurship
Chapter 2. From Plows to Profits
Chapter 3. A Profile of Amish Enterprises
Chapter 4. Homespun Entrepreneurs
Chapter 5. Labor and Human Resources
Part III: Cultural Constraints of Entrepreneurship
Chapter 6. The Moral Boundaries of Business
Chapter 7. Taming the Power of Technology
Chapter 8. Small-Scale Limitations
Part IV: The Public Face of Amish Enterprise
Chapter 9. Promotion and Professional Networks
Chapter 10. Coping with Litigation and Liability
Chapter 11. Negotiating with Caesar
Chapter 12. Failure and Success
Part V: The Transformation of Amish Society
Chapter 13. The Fate of a Traditional People
Chapter 14. National Patters of Amish Work
Appendixes: Research Methods and Data Sources
Notes
References
Index
Featured Contributor
Steven M. Nolt
Steven M. Nolt is a professor of history and Anabaptist studies at Elizabethtown College and director of the Young Center for Anabaptist and Pietist Studies.Resources
