essay

Amish on the line: the telephone debates

Amish struggle with modernityHanover, NhPublished In 1994 • Pages: 97-111, 269

By: Umble, Diane Zimmerman.

AbstractBrief abstract written by HRAF anthropologists who have done the subject indexing for the document
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).
SubjectsDocument-level OCM identifiers given by the anthropology subject indexers at HRAF
Telephone and telegraph
Acculturation and culture contact
Sociocultural trends
Ethos
Functional and adaptational interpretations
Social relationships and groups
cultureCulture name from the Outline of World Cultures (OWC)
Amish
HRAF PubDateThe date HRAF published the document
2009
RegionThe area the document pertains to
North America
Sub RegionThe more specific area the document pertains to, which is located within the Region
Regional, Ethnic and Diaspora Cultures
Document TypeMay include journal articles, essays, collections of essays, monographs, or chapters/parts of monographs
essay
Evaluation
Creator TypeThe type of person writing the document, e.g. Ethnographer, Missionary, Archaeologist, Folklorist, Linguist, Indigenous Person, and so on.
Communication Specialist
Document Rating A ranking done by HRAF anthropologists based on the strength of the source material on a scale of 1 to 5, as follows: 1 - poor; 2 - fair; 3 - good, useful data, but not uniformly excellent; 4 - excellent secondary data; 5 - excellent primary data.
5: Excellent Primary Data
AnalystThe HRAF anthropologist who subject indexed the document and prepared other materials for the eHRAF culture/tradition collection
John Beierle; 2007
Field DateThe date the researcher conducted the fieldwork or archival research that produced the document
no date
Coverage DateThe date or dates that the information in the document pertains to
1900-1990
Coverage PlaceLocation of the research culture or tradition (often a smaller unit such as a band, community, or archaeological site)
Pennslyvania, Ohio, Iowa, Indiana, United States
NotesAdditional notes
Diane Zimmerman Umble
For bibliographical references see document 20: [Kraybill and Olshan]
LCCNLibrary of Congress Control Number
94013668
LCSHLibrary of Congress Subject Headings
Amish