essay

Amish on the line: the telephone debates

amish struggle with modernity • Hanover, Nh • Published In 1994 • Pages: 97-111, 269

By: Umble, Diane Zimmerman.

Abstract
The Amish have struggled with a vast assortment of technological changes that have bombarded their communities in the twentieth century. Participation in public education and the use of tractors and automobiles would understandably transform the cultural patterns of a traditional society. But telephones -- why would such innocent devices endanger traditional ways? Diane Zimmerman Umble contends that the telephone threatened traditional patterns of communication in Old Order communities. After charting historic debates over the use of the telephone, Umble describes contemporary struggles among the Amish over the role of the telephone (p. 97).
Subjects
Telephone and telegraph
Acculturation and culture contact
Sociocultural trends
Ethos
Functional and adaptational interpretations
Social relationships and groups
culture
Amish
HRAF PubDate
2009
Region
North America
Sub Region
Regional, Ethnic and Diaspora Cultures
Document Type
essay
Evaluation
Creator Type
Communication Specialist
Document Rating
5: Excellent Primary Data
Analyst
John Beierle; 2007
Field Date
no date
Coverage Date
1900-1990
Coverage Place
Pennslyvania, Ohio, Iowa, Indiana, United States
Notes
Diane Zimmerman Umble
For bibliographical references see document 20: [Kraybill and Olshan]
LCCN
94013668
LCSH
Amish