Why Do We Find the Amish Fascinating?

• In Event: Luddism: Epistemological and Political

Abstract

For the last 20 years I have been thinking about, writing about, and presenting about the Amish. What began as an undergraduate research project has become my most requested work, and the popularity of the topic continues to overwhelm me. The Amish are a small Anabaptist religious sect that live largely in rural areas of the United States, and yet people from around the world seem endlessly fascinated by them. Much of this has to do with the Amish approach to technology, and perhaps more specifically, the belief that the Amish are Luddites. In my work I have employed the Amish as a case study to compel people to explore why they are drawn to various forms of Luddism and to help them reflect on their own relationship with technology. In this talk, rather than focusing on the Amish, I will examine this fascination that others have with the Amish and explore the benefits and the pitfalls of using the Amish to teach the world about Technology Studies.

Author

• Jameson Wetmore, Arizona State University