In the wor(l)d but not of it : Literacy practices of an Amish community in southeast Ohio.

Abstract

IN THE WOR(L)D BUT NOT OF IT: LITERACY PRACTICES OF AN AMISH COMMUNITY IN SOUTHEAST OHIO Tabetha Adkins April 6, 2009 Following in the tradition of scholars who treat literacy in context such as Deborah Brandt, Shirley Brice Heath, and David Barton and Mary Hamilton, I conducted my dissertation research not in an academic classroom but in the valleys of Hanley, a (pseudonym for a) town in southern where I visited Amish homes, farms, and businesses. Using Brandt's model in Literacy in American Lives, I interviewed 25 Amish men, women, and children to study the uses of literacy in school, church, work, and daily life. I also attended community events such as an auction and a wedding to observe ritualistic literacy practices. Observing community members in their home environments helped me to gain a better understanding of the importance of language and literacy in everyday Amish life. addition, I read The Budget, the Amish and Mennonite International weekly newspaper, for one year. The result of this research is my dissertation In The Wor(l)d But Not Of It: Literacy Practices of an Amish Community in Southeast Ohio, in which I argue that the