Mid American review of sociology (1997) 20 (1-2) pp. 89-108.

America’s Old Order Amish how managed to avoid some of the most serious social problems facing the larger society. This paper identifies the countercultural and anarchistic elements of Amish society and outlines its resemblance to social movements and to other separationist/pacifist societies of the past. Also explored an Amish attitudes toward materialism, technology, art, deviant behavior and non-violent resistance and how these attitudes shape internal social behaviors as well as interactions with outsiders. Finally, brief consideration is given to the question of how the study of the Amish might inform students of the larger culture and other interested outsiders