Includes bibliographical references (leaves 267-291) and abstract.
Summary
"This dissertation is an examiniation of Amish businessowmen and gender roles in the tourist marketplace of Lancaster County, PA. Tourism in Lancaster is a $1.5 billion business; tourists largely come because of the Amish and values associated with them. Recently, tourism has come to provide an important source of income for many Old Order Mennonite and Amish women, whose business enterprises cater primarily to a tourist market. Among the Amish, known for their separation from wider society, tourism now puts many women on the front lines in dealing with outsiders, a monumental shift historically. Thus, this ethnography of Amish businesswomen serves as a useful lens for examining Amish women's changing gender roles in Lancaster County today." [from the abstract]
Includes bibliographical references (p. 52-63) and indexes.
Summary
Joseph Shirk (1820-1902) was an Old Order Mennonite of Lancaster County. He was a farmer, carpenter,surveyor,printer,and manufacturer of agricultural and domestic tools.
"His mechanical and inventive skills applied to agricultural and domestic life were exceptional, as was his knowledge of stronomy, surveying, and botany...Was he 'one of the great American inventors of the nineteenth century'? Was he truly the first person to invent these various items?...Or was he a 'minor genius' whose accomplishments have been greatly exaggerated by admiring friends and relatives?" [Introduction]
Chapters: I. Biography: Documented by primary sources/ II. Existing objects: Made by or associated with Joseph Shirk/ III. Objects: Made by or associated with Joseph Shirk in primary sources/ IV. Oral traditions: Expressed or written after the death of Joseph Shirk/ V. Conclusion.
