Settlement of the Amish Amongst the “English”
摘要
Amish settlements are now found within 32 states and four Canadian provinces, with their population doubling every two decades. Given that their identity and religious beliefs separate them from the surrounding society, they provide a classic example of a people who live together yet separately from their neighbors. This chapter first describes characteristics of the Amish that distinguish and separate them from the surrounding population: their religious beliefs and practices, their speaking Pennsylvania Dutch and limiting schooling, their dress, and their utilization of horse-drawn vehicles and avoidance of many modern technologies. The chapter next discusses the spatial pattern of Amish settlement, noting the concentration of their settlements and population within a few states, with many small new settlements being established. Amish farmsteads are typically dispersed among non-Amish neighbors. The last section of the chapter considers the constrained nature of social and economic interactions between the Amish and non-Amish society.