A detatailed and well written account of this group of Anabaptists. The oldest and largest communal society in North America, the Hutterites—Anabaptists of German origin, like the Amish, Mennonites, and Brethren—have long been the subject of scholarly study and popular curiosity. Werner Packull tells the comprehensive story of the Hutterite beginnings in their original homelands—particularly in Tyrol and Moravia—and discovers important relationships among early Anabaptist sects.
In 1969, Ann-Marie’s parents did the unthinkable, leaving a Hutterite colony with their seven children to start a new life. Overnight, the family was thrust into a society they did not understand and did not understand them in this powerful story of understanding how our beginnings often define us. “Your mother and father are running away," said a voice piercing the warm air. I froze and turned toward home. To a Hutterite, nothing is more shameful than that word.” When Ann-Marie's parents decided to leave their Hutterite colony in Canada with their seven children in tow, it was a complete shock. Overnight, the family was thrust into a society they did not understand, and which knew little of their unique culture. The transition was overwhelming. Desperate to be accepted, ten-year-old Ann-Marie was forced to deny her heritage in order to fit in with her peers. I Am Hutterite chronicles Ann-Marie's quest to reinvent herself as she comes to terms with the painful circumstances that led her family to leave community life. Before she left the colony, Ann-Marie had never tasted macaroni and cheese or ridden a bike. She had never heard of Walt Disney or rock-and-roll. With great humor, she describes how she adapted to popular culture, and with raw honesty, her family's deep sense of loss for their community. Winner of the 2007 Saskatchewan Book Award for Non-fiction Unveils the rich history and traditions of the Hutterite people’s extraordinary way of life Includes a glossary of Hutterite words and phrases, family photos, and a family tree In this insightful memoir, venture into the hidden heart of the little-known Hutterite colony. Rich with memorable characters and vivid descriptions, this ground-breaking narrative shines a light on intolerance, illuminating the simple truth that beneath every human exterior beats a heart longing for understanding and acceptance.
One of the longest-lived communal societies in North America, the Hutterites have developed multifaceted communitarian perspectives on everything from conflict resolution and decision-making practices to standards of living and care for the elderly. This compellingly written book offers a glimpse into the complex and varied lives of the nearly 500 North American Hutterite communities. North American Hutterites today number around 50,000 and have common roots with and beliefs akin to the Amish and other Old Order Christians. This historical analysis and anthropological investigation draws on existing research, primary sources, and over 25 years of the authors' interaction with Hutterite communities to recount the group's physical and spiritual journey from its 16th-century founding in Eastern Europe and its near disappearance in Transylvania in the 1760s to its late 19th-century transplantation to North America and into the modern era. It explains how the Hutterites found creative ways to manage social and economic changes over more than five centuries while holding to the principles and cultural values embedded in their faith. Religious scholars, anthropologists, and historians of America and the Anabaptist faiths will find this objective-yet-appreciative account of the Hutterites' distinct North American culture to be a valuable and fascinating study both of the religion and of a viable alternative to modern-day capitalism.
On June 1 and 8, 2019, Hutterites in Manitoba made history. For the first time since settling in the Canadian Prairie Provinces, a Hutterite with an academic background in history interpreted and presented part of the Hutterite story in front of a public audience. The inaugural Jacob D. Maendel Lectures Series was presented by Ian Kleinsasser in three one-hour lectures at Trinity United Church in Portage la Prairie, Manitoba. [From the forward.]
Documents the disturbing history of four pacifists imprisoned for their refusal to serve during World War I. To Hutterites and members of other pacifist sects, serving the military in any way goes against the biblical commandment “thou shalt not kill” and Jesus’s admonition to turn the other cheek when confronted with violence. Pacifists in Chains tells the story of four young men—Joseph Hofer, Michael Hofer, David Hofer, and Jacob Wipf—who followed these beliefs and refused to perform military service in World War I. The men paid a steep price for their resistance, imprisoned in Alcatraz and Fort Leavenworth, where the two youngest died. The Hutterites buried the men as martyrs, citing mistreatment. Using archival material, letters from the four men and others imprisoned during the war, and interviews with their descendants, Duane C. S. Stoltzfus explores the tension between a country preparing to enter into a world war and a people whose history of martyrdom for their pacifist beliefs goes back to their sixteenth-century Reformation beginnings.
During the 16th century’s tumultuous years of religious reformation and revolution, Pilgram Marpeck consistently but discreetly stood up to the ruling powers, calling for freedom of religion and separation of church and state. Walter Klaassen and William Klassen, editors of The Writings of Pilgram Marpeck, have deeply mined Marpeck’s writing and dialogue with other Reformation leaders. They place his life, work, and theology in the context of his violent, changing times. This thorough biography shows how Marpeck, perhaps more than any other early Anabaptist figure, helped lay the theoretical and practical foundations of the believers church.
This review brings together new research in three areas of Anabaptist studies and the Radical Reformation. Part One focuses on sixteenth-century Anabaptism, re-examining the ’polygenesis model’ of Anabaptism articulated by Stayer, Packull and Depperman. Part Two deals with the connections between Anabaptists and other Reformation dissenters, their marginalisation as social groups and their relations with the intellectual movements of the age. The final section addresses historiographic and comparative issues of writing the history of marginalised groups, investigating some preconceptions which influence historians’ approaches to Anabaptism and their implications for understanding other religious groups.
"This ambitious undertaking touches all bases, is highly accessible, and provides a solid starting point for further exploration." —School Library Journal This three-volume reference presents a comprehensive look at the role race and ethnicity play in society and in our daily lives.. The Encyclopedia of Race, Ethnicity, and Society offers informative coverage of intergroup relations in the United States and the comparative examination of race and ethnicity worldwide. Containing nearly 600 entries, this resource provides a foundation to understanding as well as researching racial and ethnic diversity from a multidisciplinary perspective. Key Features Describes over a hundred racial and ethnic groups, with additional thematic essays discussing broad topics that cut across group boundaries and impact society at large Addresses other issues of inequality that often intersect with the primary focus on race and ethnicity, such as ability, age, class, gender, and sexual orientation Brings together the most distinguished authorities possible, with 375 contributors from 14 different countries Offers broad historical coverage,, ranging from "Kennewick Man" to the "Emancipation Proclamation" to "Hip-Hop" Presents over 90 maps to help the reader comprehend the source of nationalities or the distribution of ethnic or racial groups Provides an easy-to-use statistical appendix with the latest data and carefully selected historical comparisons Key Themes · Biographies · Community and Urban Issues · Concepts and Theories · Criminal Justice · Economics and Stratification · Education · Gender and Family · Global Perspectives · Health and Social Welfare · Immigration and Citizenship · Legislation, Court Decisions, and Treaties · Media, Sports, and Entertainment · Organizations · Prejudice and Discrimination · Public Policy · Racial, Ethnic, and Nationality Groups · Religion · Sociopolitical Movements and Conflicts
Pietism can be understood either as a specific German theological tradition emanating from late seventeenth-century reformers as Spener and Francke or as a wider range of practical piety characterising early modern movements as Protestant Puritanism and Methodism as well as Catholic Jansenism. Trying an inclusive definition, an international network programme was set up, resulting in a first conference in the Netherlands in 2004, which addressed the question whether Pietism was to be seen as a consequence of or a reaction to confessionalisation in the Reformation era. A similar approach was chosen for a second conference, held in the Swedish university town of Umeå on November 17-18, 2005. Should Pietism be perceived as a promoter of or a reaction against modernity? Are revivals and awakenings to be seen as inherent components of Pietism? Or should they rather be viewed as new sociological phenomena integrated into Pietism on a later stage? Which components of pious theology and practice were applied and what function did they serve in clerical and civil discourse? Either way, how do revivals relate to Pietism, and how do they relate to Enlightenment? This volume presents the proceedings of an inspiring conference, taking a further step in the ‘globalisation’ of Pietism studies, as is demonstrated here in particular by the power of research in the Nordic area. Above all, this collection of papers helps to understand Pietism and revivalism as attempts to resist the breakthrough of secularizing tendencies in the modern world. While doing so, they themselves at the same time were modern in building up a counteroffensive of rechristianization, using all contemporary means of communication and organization in the public sphere, adapting their own traditions to new political and cultural contexts, and creating constructions of the religious past.
