Separation and Survival in Amish Society

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Abstract
This paper describes a number of threats to the cultural values and traditions of Old Order Amish society. The influences, upon the Amish, of government legislation, high fertility rates and rising rural land prices are specifically considered, as is the phenomena of increasing factory employment in many Old Order communities. This paper further explores the manner in which the Amish are adapting to external threats to their traditional beliefs and lifestyles. The occupational structure of the Geauga County (Ohio) Amish is analyzed as an empirical case in point and an assessment is made of the impact that widespread factory employment and modernization are having upon that settlement. Finally, several cultural survival strategies, which are being widely employed by the Amish throughout the United States, are described and briefly evaluated including: (1) non-violent resistance to government authority, (2) partial accommodation to factory work, (3) psycho-social techniques of cultural boundary maintenance and (4) cottage industry employment.

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