Bibliography of Mennonite and Amish Folklore and Folk Arts

Ervin Beck
Professor of English
Goshen College
Goshen, Indiana
ervinb@goshen.edu

Foreword

Because so many elements of Amish and Mennonite culture are transmitted orally or by customary example, it is often difficult to draw the line between folk and other spheres of Mennonite and Amish culture. Although this bibliography is of necessity selective, it errs in the direction of inclusivity. Some principles used in selecting items for the bibliography include the following:

Secondary reports/analyses prevail, although primary sources are sometimes included for under-researched areas. Similarly, every effort has been made to include all available scholarly studies, although many popular sources are included.

The bibliography is relatively complete for items published since 1980; less complete for earlier years. A few items lack important bibliographical information; the compiler welcomes corrections by e-mail.

The bibliography does not include items on the Hutterites, nor on European Mennonite or Amish culture -- unless such items deal with aspects of culture that have also been brought to North America.

The borderline between folk and sociological and anthropological studies is problematic. Some sociological and anthropological studies are included, especially if they were included in the annual bibliography for Folklore published by the Modern Language Association.

Outline" of the Bibliography

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