THESIS
STRANGERS IN THIS WORLD
Suzannah Hoover New Media Photojournalism
Spring 2013
In partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Degree of Master of Arts in New Media Photojournalism Corcoran College of Art + Design Washington, D.C.
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©Suzannah Hoover
2013
All Rights Reserved
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
I. Abstract ……………………………………….. 5 II. Introduction……………………………...... 5 III. Rationale………………………………………. 7 IV. Research Summary/Approach……………….. 9 V. Professional Precedents and Goals…………...10 VI. Community Engagement………………………11 VII. Narrative………………………………………..13 VIII. Appendices……………………………………...19
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I. Abstract
This thesis concerns three Amish families living in Shipshewana Indiana. This is an exploration of the idea that while they work to remain true to their roots, the identity of members of this Amish community is changing due to internal and external pressures.
This project adds to the social documentary tradition by increasing discourse surrounding this culture that is often stereotyped. The final product is presented in a short documentary, including original video, photographs, and audio. Additionally, there is a community engagement component, which prompts Amish and non-Amish alike to question their understanding of this culture. This is a significant undertaking because it explores a culture whose representation is often extremely polarized, whether through misrepresentation or stereotypes.
II. Introduction
With a current population of 250,000, and a projection of one million by 2050, the
Amish Christian population is the fastest growing faith group in the United States according to the Christian Science Monitor. As a population that once prided itself on farming to sustain it’s lifestyle, the Amish have realized that with the changing times they are no longer able to continue in this manner, both due to internal and external forces.
The Amish are facing a time in which the decisions they make are critical to the very core of their culture.
As well as the internalized issues of the Amish such as the pressure to remain true to their faith in changing times, they are also being faced with an outside culture that has 5 www.StrangersinthisWorld.com www.SuzannahHoover.com ©Suzannah Hoover 2013 [email protected]
begun to sensationalize them. Events such as the 2011 Sam Mullet trials and the 2006 shooting at the West Nickel Mines School in Pennsylvania have prompted the media to look into the culture and explore this private way of life. Additionally, the entertainment world has created shows such as Breaking Amish, Amish Mafia, and Amish: Out of
Order, which give a “reality TV” view into the world of the Amish. These shows sensationalize and skew the Amish lifestyle, perpetuating the misrepresentation.
Through this project I explore the Amish culture as it relates to the issues of representation, commodification, and redefining what it means to be Amish in their struggle to stay true to their roots while following the natural course of change in life. I worked with three Amish families to begin to gain an understanding of what it means to be Amish. Additionally, I interviewed Susan Miller, a former Amish woman and the managing director of the Menno-Hof museum in order to build a contextual and historical understanding of the Amish culture in Northern Indiana.
Through this work I have created a unique representation of the Amish through their words, images, and stories. I created a multimedia piece encompassing original images, audio, and video, as a means to address these through the lives of these Amish families. Through this work, I have created not only a better understanding of the Amish culture, but also a clearer representation of their lives in order to increase the level of dialogue surrounding them.
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III. Rationale
“Amish is a way of life, not a religion.” When speaking with the Amish, this is a phrase that is often repeated. As a culture the Amish people seek to live a life that serves
God and that will get them to Heaven, but want to make a clear distinction that being
Amish is not a “free pass”. However, as I am also often told, the Amish are human and make mistakes and are sometimes worried about the “uplifted” status that they are given by the outside world. Through my work I explore this culture and issues they face in their lives, including representation, changing times, and the commodification of their culture.
Typically, a person would need to visit areas such as Lancaster, PA, Holmes
County, OH, or Shipshewana, IN, in order to find the Amish. However, as one of the fastest growing populations and one that intrigues many outsiders, or “English,” their quiet lifestyle has broken out of these specific locations and become increasingly a part of mainstream culture. These areas are not only still primarily where the Amish are located, but also have become destination locales where one can learn about and become inundated with the Amish culture and goods like food, quilts, or furniture. The idea of
Amish has moved beyond a lifestyle and has become a commodity.
This thesis project focuses specifically on the Amish culture near Shipshewana,
IN. The Amish are one of the fastest growing populations self-defined by faith and will double in that population by 2024. Initially, it was the English capitalized on the tourism potential that Amish culture brought to the area, but as times have changed, necessity required that the Amish find new methods of income in addition to farming.
Consequently, the Amish have began to sell their wares as well. 7 www.StrangersinthisWorld.com www.SuzannahHoover.com ©Suzannah Hoover 2013 [email protected]
The ubiquity and advances of technology have also challenged the Amish as they try to balance the need to prosper and make a living in a less agricultural society. As the need for mechanical and other technological tools such as combines for farming, telephones, and power tools increases businesses efficiency, the Amish have begun to face the difficult task of finding a “happy medium.” Throughout each community, they must rationalize the technology allowance limit that will make them viable business people, but also support their belief that their lifestyle will guide them to their place in
Heaven
Events such as the Sam Mullet beard cutting attacks in 2011, and the 2006 West
Nickel Mines School shooting in the Amish community in Pennsylvania, have caused media to take interest in the Amish, raising their profile nationally. Amish identity has entered the mainstream and captured the eye of reality T.V. fans through Amish: Out of
Order, Breaking Amish, and Amish Mafia, These shows portray the Amish in a manner that sometimes, not always, is skewed to garner high ratings. For mainstream society, whether they view these shows or not, the representation of the Amish is skewed and something that needs to be explored in order to better understand this culture in an honest manner.
I believe that it is important to create this body of work that explores these issues in a manner which the Amish have a large control of the message and their representation to the world. With reality shows continuing to air, and inevitable events that will bring the Amish into the limelight, there needs to be a clearer understanding of the culture and the manner in which they live.
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IV. Research Summary/Approach
Throughout the course of this project, my subject focus and project idea became more clear and relevant. While this project began as a simple look into the world of the
Amish, specifically focusing on the Rumspringa period, the final multimedia project focused on the representation of the Amish, their changing culture, and the manner in which their culture has become a commodity.
My research included exploring the Amish culture through written texts, movies, and reading texts of other projects created about the Amish. Additionally, I researched the idea of representation, and specifically representation of those on the outskirts of a mainstream culture. I read books such as Reading National Geographic, Image and
Representation: Key Concepts in Media Studies, and The Civil Contract of Photography among others, in order to better understand how representation and symbols are created, who owns the representation, and how it affects the subjects as well as the photographer.
Additionally, I follow television programs such as Amish Mafia, Breaking Amish, and Amish out of Order, that are created about the Amish and sometimes even in their communities, in order to better understand what is being presented to the world. I am also exploring the community of downtown Shipshewana, IN, where “Amish” has become less of a lifestyle and more of a commodity for both the English (non-Amish) and the
Amish alike. I believe that these research approaches, as well as speaking with and exploring Amish families have helped to create a well-rounded body of work about this community. 9 www.StrangersinthisWorld.com www.SuzannahHoover.com ©Suzannah Hoover 2013 [email protected]
Citations: "Amish Mafia." Amish Mafia. Discovery Channel. Lancaster, PA, n.d. Television. Amish: Out of Order. National Geographic Channel. Columbia, Missouri, 16 Oct. 2012. National Geographic Channel. Web. 5 Oct. 2012.
V. Professional Precedents and Goals
“Strangers in this World” is a project that addresses a variety of themes and issues surrounding the Amish including representation, identity, and changing culture. When looking at work about representation and cultures on the outskirts of society, it is not hard to find many photographers who have done work in this same vein. Photographers from the very beginning like Lewis Hine, Aaron Huey, Stephanie Sinclair, and William Albert
Allard have sought to represent and shine a light on cultures that often live on the outskirts of society, whether that be, physically or emotionally. These photographers explore the lives and issues of those in these cultures, in order to gain a better understanding and alleviate misconceptions that often surround these people.
Through my work with the Amish, I gained a better understanding of a culture that has for so long lived among us, but as well has skirted mainstream society. I intend for my work to create a dialogue about this culture both within and between the English
(non-Amish) and Amish communities about what it means to be Amish. I believe that for
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too long this culture has been represented in a manner that has created a façade of untruths, misinformation, and stereotypes and through “Strangers in this World,” I begin to break this apart and show the complexity of the Amish identity.
VI. Community Engagement
In thinking about the community engagement aspect of my project, my mind immediately went to the fact that taking these images back to the community could potentially harm my subjects and their roles in the community. Therefore, I believe that instead of sharing my work with the Amish community, I intend on building upon my work by creating a forum where the Amish can tell their story. The goal is to create a
“space” in which the Amish are able to take control of their story and their representation.
In the Amish community, due to the fact that they have not joined the digital age, letter writing is still an important practice. Due to this fact, I created a series of postcards with questions on them prompting the participant, whether Amish or English, to respond with an answer based upon their knowledge of the Amish. A few of these questions include:
What do you think about the Amish?
What does it mean to be Amish?
What makes a person Amish?
What is your biggest question about the Amish?
I will be placing these postcards at various stores and flea markets around
Shipshewana and will additionally place an ad in the Amish newspaper Die Blatt As I 11 www.StrangersinthisWorld.com www.SuzannahHoover.com ©Suzannah Hoover 2013 [email protected]
receive responses, I will scan and compile them on my website. Additionally, I will create “books” with these responses and will return to the community and place them in the same locations I initially placed the postcards.
For my audience I believe that it is important to begin a dialogue within the
Amish community. This community is at a crucial point in their history and introspection could be beneficial. Beyond that I believe that this would be an interesting project for the general public. There are many misconceptions and mysteries surrounding the Amish in the English community and this may help to begin the dialogue about this community.
For more information about this project please go to www.StrangersinthisWorld.com.
Fig 1
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VIII. Narrative
Strangers in this World
Fig 2
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They walk quietly through this world. They appear simultaneously to be both one with the Earth while yearning for a place not built by hands. They are of the Anabaptist tradition seeking peace and simplicity, often setting themselves apart from the world. They shy from modern conveniences, yet must find a balance between their simple lifestyle and a rapidly advancing world in order to survive. They are Christian, they are Amish: it is not always simple.
For the Eash family, their struggle is the battle to maintain traditional Amish values while slowly modernizing their dairy farm. For Aaron and Eunice Bontreger, it is the difficult decision whether to stay in a life they are not completely content with or leaving everything they have ever known to pursue their dreams. For Christian Bontrager it is the struggle between his contentment as an Amish man and his desire to know more about the world.
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For Marlin Eash, as with many Amish families, business is imperative to their survival and a strong work ethic is ingrained from childhood. Marlin, an Amish farmer, worries that the technology that they use on their farm decreases the family time that was often spent working on the chores together. For the Amish, family is second only to God and life choices are made to bring family closer together. However, with the increasing need to incorporate technology, many of their traditions are threatened.
There is always a child running around nearby; most often it is Curtis, the impish five- year-old. Whether out of curiosity or a fleeting but genuine desire to help, the children flit in and out, around their father and mother, Marlin and Doris Eash, as they work on their dairy farm near downtown Shipshewana, Indiana.
In addition to the fifteen people in this multigenerational family, this farm is home to chickens, cows, horses, and even a mini horse.
This extended family runs and manages the Eash family organic dairy and chicken farm. The daily routine is so ingrained in each person that it almost seems like they are dancing as they move in, out, and around each other.
For Marlin, the patriarch of this family, farming meshes well with his Amish lifestyle.
“As a farmer, I see agriculture as something that is a complete circle and that is the same with our Amish life, the faith that we have. It’s a balance of everything.”
Marlin steps into the milking parlor complete with a steel milk tank and what seems like the latest in technology. Over the loud hum and hiss of the generator-run machines he confers with Doris over which cows should be brought for milking first.
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“We have always milked in a parlor,” Marlin says. “When I changed this farm from a cattle farm to a dairy farm, they were using this technology in my [Amish] district.”
As his children grow older, they are able to help out on the farm more. His eldest son Luke, 10, often helps in the milking parlor, although his favorite job is running the skid loader.
Despite their Amish belief in simplicity, technology permeates almost every aspect of the Eash’s farm life. Adopting new technology is a necessity to remain a viable business in today’s society. Contracting with an organic milk company means that Marlin must maintain his farm to the standards of the outside or “English” world in order to make a living for his family.
Around the dinner table in the family home, Marlin and Doris regain the family time they value so much. They talk with their children in the hopes of preparing them for their lives ahead.
“Parents need to instill good values and work ethic into their children.” Marlin says.
For Marlin and the rest of his family, they are content to live the Amish lifestyle. Even though they are being pushed by the outside world to change and adapt, the Eashs remain steadfast in their beliefs and heritage.
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“My father told me he didn’t think I could be saved” Eunice Bontreger says. She looked out the window wistfully, as if reliving the experience in that moment.
Eunice is a small woman, with a powerful, quiet manner about her. She speaks softly, rarely raising her voice, prompting you to lean in to hear what she has to say.
Eunice’s husband, Aaron, has a cheerful face and a strong, yet guarded demeanor. He is thoughtful during conversations and often pauses to carefully choose his words.
Aaron, 22, and Eunice, 23, are clearly in love. They look at each other as though they are still courting and seize every opportunity to touch hands, have a quick hug, or share a knowing smile.
Aaron and Eunice married in the summer of 2012. They met through their Amish Youth Group and soon realized that they shared a viewpoint on the Amish lifestyle; views that that ran counter to most other Amish in their community.
Both had experiences in their youth that made them question the lives they lead. For Aaron, it was a Bishop who dismissed Aaron’s questions about faith and the Amish 15 www.StrangersinthisWorld.com www.SuzannahHoover.com ©Suzannah Hoover 2013 [email protected]
lifestyle. For Eunice, it was parents who were extremely strict and often unforgiving. Each experience left them feeling alone in a community based on unity.
Once they met each other, however, they found a kindred spirit.
Aaron and Eunice have dreams. They live in a house on a small property by Amish standards, one acre of land that they have rented, electricity included, and begun to fix up. One day they hope that they will be able to buy the property and some of the surrounding land for a farm.
Eunice misses living on a full-scale farm and often feels restless in her new life as a wife without a job. They banter back and forth about this and Eunice usually ends the conversation with a half-joking plea for a pony.
Aaron imagines owning a truck someday. “He wants to drive a big black truck, with a big engine,” Eunice says. She chuckles as she remembers a recent afternoon when they happened upon a truck show. Aaron, unable to resist, got in one of the trucks and revved the engine.
Aaron and Eunice may not stay Amish forever. “We believe we can serve God Amish; we also believe that we can serve God elsewhere,” says Eunice.
For the young couple, the decision lies in whether they want to remain tied to the community of their ancestry or pursue their dreams of owning a business, a truck, and maybe even becoming a volunteer fireman.
They are clearly torn between the two worlds in their daily lives. By all appearances they are Amish, but there are many signs that they are dipping their toes into the world of the English, the Amish word for outsiders.
They have electricity in their rented home. While the Amish allow this in a rented home due to the fact that it is not owned, if the Bontregers were to move or buy the home, they would be required to remove that luxury.
In the meantime, however, they are enjoying that convenience. Eunice sews on her Bernina sewing machine, a gift from Aaron. Aaron uses power tools when he does his tinkering around the home.
For now they are comfortable. They have their family and friends, and the comfort of the life they have always known.
Aaron and Eunice often speak of a crossroads. They know that at some point in their lives, they will need to decide which life they want to pursue. In the mean time, they will continue to walk the line between their two worlds. 16 www.StrangersinthisWorld.com www.SuzannahHoover.com ©Suzannah Hoover 2013 [email protected]
Says Eunice, “God is the big thing, I try not to make it about Amish.”
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Christian is Amish. Amish is Christian.
For Christian Bontrager, the Amish lifestyle is comfortable. Christian is 34-years-old, and by all appearances, a typical Amish man: he works in an RV Factory, goes to church, and loves God.
For as much as he typifies the Amish world, there is also much about Christian that does not fit the mold. He seeks out knowledge about the Amish and the outside world. He has traveled extensively overseas. He has not married and has very little interest in it. He lives with his parents, long after most Amish have married and moved out on their own. He recycles. Christian expands his world when the community contracts. He pushes beyond the Amish norms of staying close to home and ending their education after eighth grade. He races towards change when the Amish are slow to adapt. He constantly bucks the stereotype.
For most Amish, education ends after the eighth grade. Christian is working towards getting his G.E.D. diploma.
“I like to know things, I like to know why we do the things we do,” Christian says.
Christian could tell you the history of the Amish, Hutterite, or Mennonite community without taking a breath. His extensive knowledge comes from his insatiable desire for learning and from his bike trips across Europe in search of a deeper understanding about his Amish ancestry.
He writes a comic strip for the local Amish newspaper, Connection. In this strip, “Simon Sez,” named after his pet turkey, Christian creates images and text that impart some of his knowledge of animals, bugs, plants, and recycling.
“I think it’s important for kids to know, and it’s amazing different animals, how the way God made them, I can see why he had to rest on the seventh day [because] all those instincts and what they can do and not do it’s just amazing,” he explained.
For Christian, the world often seems as simple as the beauty of God’s creations. However, there are parts of his life that cause Christian concern.
Although as an unmarried man he is still technically in Rumspringa, the time in a young Amish teen’s life when they are free to explore the outside world before joining the Church, Christian is content with his hobbies. For the Amish, however, marriage is 17 www.StrangersinthisWorld.com www.SuzannahHoover.com ©Suzannah Hoover 2013 [email protected]
almost as sacred as joining the Church and committing your life to God and remaining single is not typical.
“I just kinda stay home,” he says, “I like it that way.”
While at times when he speaks about it there is sadness in his voice, Christian enjoys his single life. He often jokes that he is not going to marry any woman unless she can cook.
“I don’t know. Marriage is a big thing, maybe it wouldn’t be so bad,” he says.
While he seems conflicted about certain aspects of life, for Christian, at least one part of the future is certain: he is happy to be Amish. For the rest of his life, Christian will have to learn how to live within the Amish mold while maintaining his unique interests and continuing to seek new knowledge.
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In a world based on the certainty of God, life for the Amish appears uncertain. A closer look at this intensely private world, so often stereotyped and simplified by outsiders and even by Amish themselves, reveals that there are many facets of the Amish identity.
They are a people struggling to remain true to centuries of heritage and a strict belief system in the midst of a changing world. This makes the traditional Amish lifestyle increasingly difficult to maintain.
For a young couple, Aaron and Eunice seem to exemplify this uncertainty the most however as Eunice explains, “We don’t know what the future holds for us, but until then we are going to live life”
Aaron adds “And enjoy it to the fullest!”
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IX. Appendices:
Annotated Precedents Bibliography
Adorno, Eunice. The Flower Women. N.d. Photograph. Chihuahua, Durango, Zacatecas. Zone Zero. Web. 5 July 2012.
Allard, William A. "The Hutterites, Plain People of the West." National Geographic Magazine July 1970: 98-125. National Geographic. Web. 27 Sept. 2012.
"Amish Mafia." Amish Mafia. Discovery Channel. Lancaster, PA, n.d. Television Amish Mafia is a show that follows a group of four Amish and Mennonite men who live in Lancaster County, PA who have been dubbed the “Amish Mafia.” Throughout the episodes it shows these men taking the law into their own hands, throwing parties and barn fights for money, and in general doing many things that do not seem to follow the rules of Amish society.
Amish: Out of Order. National Geographic Channel. Columbia, Missouri, 16 Oct. 2012. National Geographic Channel. Web. 5 Oct. 2012.
show about a variety of aspects of the Amish life. A main topic in this show will be the Rumspringa period and the decision to return to or leave the Amish life. Additionally, there are some interesting episodes that discuss issues like Ex- Amish joining Evangelical churches to feel more structures, an English woman who decides to become Amish, and the Amish cultures relationship with English culture.
"Breaking Amish." Breaking Amish. TLC. New York City, New York, 2012. Television. This is a reality show created by TLC that "documents" the lives of four Amish and one Mennonite young adults when they are transplanted from their ways of life to the New York City. This show brings up issues regarding their dissatisfaction with their previous lifestyles and their fear and uncertainty about their new lifestyles. The show is very unclear on a number of points including whether these people are in the Rumspringa period of their lives, whether they have actually been shunned, and whether they are able to return to their lives or whether this change will be permanent or not. This show feels exploitative and raises more questions than answers.
Devil's Playground. Dir. Lucy Walker. Perf. Velda Bontrager, Mark Bontrager, Dewayne Chupp. Wellspring, 2003. Videocassette. This documentary follows the lives of a number of Amish teens that are in the period of their lives called Rumspringa. It specifically tells the story of their lives in this period when they experiment with "English" culture. This includes experimenting with drugs, sex, and other aspects of this culture that would be strictly forbidden in the Amish culture. Additionally, this film follows the emotional journey of these teens as they decide whether to return to the Amish church or leave and join the English world for good.
Hedley, Lottie. Intimate and Beautiful Photographs of an Amish Farm in Northern Maine. 2012. Photograph. Smyrna Mills, Maine. Feature Shoot. 14 Sept. 2012. Web. 25 Sept. 2012.
Heisler, Todd. A Close-Knit Farming Community. 2010. Photograph. Lancaster, PA. New York Times. 30 May 2010. Web. 1 Oct. 2012.
article in the New York Times; Amish Farming Draws Rare Government Scrutiny written by Sindya N. Bhanoo. I chose this photographic essay more for the images of the Amish by Todd Heisler and the manner in which it is presented, the slideshow, that for the actual context of the article, although that is interesting. Heisler has created beautiful images of the Amish, in a very respectful manner by not showing their faces. However, the manner in which he composes the images does not leave the viewer missing their faces. Heisler gives the viewer an interesting and beautiful view, albeit a bit superficial, of the lives of Amish farmers.
Kroll, John. Amish in the City. UPN. Los Angeles, California, 28 July 2004. Television. This reality series documents the lives of six Amish youth and five English who are put in a house together in Hollywood. Each of the Amish youth was in the Rumspringa period of their life and at the end of the show only one returned to the Amish way of life. This show takes on a "Real World" nature and chronicles their different "English" experiences.
Ruiz Cirera, Jordi. The Bolivian Mennonite Lifestyle. N.d. Photograph. Bolivia. Feature Shoot. 10 Sept. 2012. Web. 26 Sept. 2012.
Sinclair, Stephanie. Amish. 2009-2010. Photograph. Berlin, Ohio. VII Photo. 2010. Web. 18 Sept. 2012.
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Annotated Research Bibliography
Amish Studies. Amish Studies The Young Center for Anabaptist and Pietist Studies. N.p., n.d. Web. 26 Aug. 2012.
Azoulay, Ariella. The Civil Contract of Photography. New York: Zone, 2008. Print. In this book Azoulay questions the idea of the power relationships and the political and ethical statuses that have historically created and solidified the meaning of photography and photographs. She questions the traditional role of photography and pushes the idea of the downtrodden claiming photography as a means of rebellion. She also discusses the idea that photography can never be seen as autonomous and historical context, specifically tragic events, must be used in the understanding of photographs.
Center for Opinion Research Franklin & Marshall College, ed. Amish Health Focus Groups Summary of Findings. Center for Opinion Research Franklin & Marshall College, May 2009. Web. 12 Sept. 2012.
Garrett, Ruth Irene, and Rick Farrant. Crossing Over: One Woman's Escape from Amish Life. [San Francisco, Calif.]: HarperSanFrancisco, 2003. Print. This is a memoir of a woman name Ruth Garrett who decided after growing up Amish to leave the church. She is deeply dissatisfied with this life and because of this leaves the family and community in which she has been raised. This chronicles her life through all of these decisions and in her life post-Amish.
Hall, Stuart, Jessica Evans, and Sean Nixon. Representation: Cultural Representation and Signifying Practices. London: SAGE, 1997. Print. This book discusses the idea of representation as it pertains to media and culture. 22 www.StrangersinthisWorld.com www.SuzannahHoover.com ©Suzannah Hoover 2013 [email protected]
Specifically interesting to me it discusses the idea of the other and the how representation is created through the images and moreover the media. Additionally, they discuss the manner in which this representation is exhibited and how that affects the discourse. Hostetler, John Andrew. Amish Society. 4th ed. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins UP, 1993. Print. This book is a comprehensive edition on the Amish culture including the history, ceremonies, government, and their responses to the changing society both Amish and English. This book is the 4th edition of a series of books by Hostetler that work to tell a complete story of the Amish and their lifestyle choices. These books are considered reference books to the secretive Amish culture.
Igou, Brad. The Amish in Their Own Words: Amish Writings from 25 Years of Family Life Magazine. Scottdale, PA: Herald, 1999. Print. This is a book that is created from a compilation of 25 years of writing from Family Life a monthly Amish magazine. This book give the Amish the opportunity to explain their culture in their own words dealing with issues such as the tenets of their faith, the way they raise their children, and how they cope with the world around them. Although a bit outdated it gives an interesting view into the lives of Amish through their eyes.
Kraybill, Donald B., and Carl Desportes Bowman. On the Backroad to Heaven: Old Order Hutterites, Mennonites, Amish, and Brethren. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins UP, 2001. Print. This is a book that gives an introduction to four Old Order communities including the Hutterites, Mennonites, Amish, and Brethren. It delves into each of these different faiths, their histories and their cultures individually. Furthermore it explains how these four communities have similarities in their belief systems and lifestyles.
Lacey, Nick. Image and Representation. London: Palgrave Macmillan, 2008. Print. This book discusses ideas surrounding culture, communication, media language, and representation. This book discusses many of the theories behind representation, including ideas from Barthes, Pierce, and Saussure.
Lutz, Catherine, and Jane Lou Collins. Reading National Geographic. Chicago: University of Chicago, 1993. Print. This book discusses both the manner in which National Geographic is created through the choices of image and text. As well it discusses the nature of representation through the various socio-economic issues that this magazine addresses, specifically in developing nations. It also discusses representation as it relates to the Western way of thinking and how this affects perception of non- Western cultures.
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Shachtman, Tom. "Rumspringa: Amish Teens Venture into Modern Vices." Talk of the Nation. Prod. Neal Conan. National Public Radio. Washington, D.C., 07 June 2006. NPR.Org. 07 June 2006. Web. 27 Aug. 2012.
Shachtman, Tom. Rumspringa: To Be or Not to Be Amish. New York: North Point, 2006. Print. This book was written by Shachtman, who began researching this period, Rumspringa, for the documentary Devil's Playground. Shachtman gives the reader an in-depth experience into this period through the eyes of various Amish youth. He shows the lives of these you in extremely vivid detail giving the reader a deeper understanding of the trials and tribulations of making this life changing decision.
Spiegel, Alix. "One Man Tackles Psychotherapy For The Amish." NPR. NPR, 18 Mar. 2009. Web. 11 Oct. 2012.
Wagler, Ira. Growing up Amish: A Memoir. Carol Stream, IL: Tyndale House, 2011. Print. This is the story of Ira Wagler who grew up Amish, but then chose to leave the church. He discusses how he would often sneak away from his community, only to return, and how this was a constant battle for him. He discusses his life as an Amish youth and then goes on to detail his choice to leave and his life as an Ex- Amish man.
List of Illustrations
Fig 1: Screenshot of Website Fig 2: Image of Eunice Bontreger from Strangers in this World
24 www.StrangersinthisWorld.com www.SuzannahHoover.com ©Suzannah Hoover 2013 [email protected]