John A. Hostetler
Encyclopedia
John A. Hostetler was an author, educator, and leading scholar of Amish
and Hutterite
societies.
(known locally as the Big Valley) region of Mifflin County
, Pennsylvania
, USA on October 29, 1918. He was the fifth of seven children of Joseph and Nancy (Hostetler) Hostetler. At the age of eleven, his parents moved to Iowa
. As a youth he supervised his father's turkey operation, took courses on poultry raising, and received a poultry judging license from the American Poultry Association
. He discovered that he enjoyed reading more than raising turkeys and feeding hogs. He was sixteen when his essay "Some Effects of Alcohol and Tobacco" was published by the Mennonite youth paper The Words of Cheer. Never baptized in the Amish church, in 1935 Hostetler joined the Mennonite
Church. He attended Hesston College
in 1941, but was soon drafted and served with Civilian Public Service
in several locations. He graduated from Goshen College
in 1949 with a degree in sociology. While at Goshen he assisted dean Harold S. Bender
by writing articles on the Amish and similar groups for the four-volume Mennonite Encyclopedia which Bender was editing, beginning a productive and prolific academic career.
He married Hazel Schrock in June 1949. The Hostetlers then moved to State College
, Pennsylvania where John began graduate studies in rural sociology at the Pennsylvania State University
. In 1951, his wife and a daughter died in childbirth, the same year that Hostetler's Annotated Bibliography on the Amish won the University of Chicago
's annual Folklore Prize. In 1953 Hostetler married Beulah Stauffer Hostetler, a book editor at Herald Press. They had three daughters together, and their marriage marked the beginning of a 48-year collaboration on many projects. He died on August 8, 2001 at the age of 82.
Beginning in 1959 he held faculty teaching appointments at the University of Alberta
, Penn State Abington
(Penn State Ogontz campus), and Temple University
where he retired in 1985. He lectured widely at colleges and universities and held several visiting professorships including five years (1986–1990) as a Distinguished Scholar-in-Residence at the Young Center for Anabaptist and Pietist Studies at Elizabethtown College
where his wife also held a teaching appointment.
and the Mennonite Historical Bulletin as well as some twenty additional articles in other scholarly journals including the Journal of the Royal Anthropological Institute and the American Journal of Medical Genetics. He contributed at least 15 chapters to edited books as well as several essays to encyclopedias. Hostetler produced eight full length books and six booklets for popular audiences including the best selling Amish Life. His most important and influential book was Amish Society (Johns Hopkins); first published in 1963, with a fourth edition in 1993, it became one of the best selling volumes in the history of the Johns Hopkins University Press
. Hutterite Society (Johns Hopkins, 1974) provided an authoritative account of Hutterite life and society. Other major books included Children in Amish Society (Holt, Rinehart & Winston, 1971) coauthored with his long-time colleague Gertrude Enders Huntington, and Amish Roots (Johns Hopkins, 1989). At the Amish Tricentennial Conference at Elizabethtown College in 1993, Hostetler was recognized by friends and colleagues and presented with a festschrift
, The Amish and the State (Johns Hopkins, 1993) which honored his scholarly contributions.
During the early 1960s Hostetler organized an extensive study of Hutterite religious, educational and social practices, with particular focus on socialization patterns, in three colonies, two in southern Canada and one in the northern US state of Montana. The study was funded by the US Office of Education and enlisted numerous consultants and fieldworkers, the latter headed by anthropologist Gertrude Huntington who lived with some of her family as participating members of an Alberta colony for 7 weeks one summer. Hostetler and Huntington published the findings of their study in The Hutterites in North America in 1967—it has been reprinted in several new editions since then.
In addition to his formal publications Hostetler wrote many research reports, directed six funded research projects, and served as an expert witness in at least five court cases involving minority groups, the most prominent one being Wisconsin v. Yoder
which was heard by the U.S. Supreme Court in 1972. He was an active participant in the National Committee for Amish Religious Freedom. Hostetler served as an advisor to two major films: The Amish: A People of Preservation (1976) and The Hutterites: To Care and Not to Care (1983). Among numerous awards, John A. Hostetler was a Fulbright Scholar, received an honorary doctorate from Elizabethtown College, and was recognized by the Society for German-American Studies and the National Historic Communal Societies Association.
Through publication and contact with the public media Hostetler served as the leading national interpreter of Amish and Hutterite communities throughout the last half of the twentieth century. As a champion of religious liberty, he was instrumental in preserving and protecting fundamental religious rights of religious minorities, working in quiet and sensitive ways to build bridges of understanding and respect between Old Order communities and the larger world. One of his most enduring accomplishments was his ability to nurture and maintain the trust of leaders and members of Old Order communities.
Amish
The Amish , sometimes referred to as Amish Mennonites, are a group of Christian church fellowships that form a subgroup of the Mennonite churches...
and Hutterite
Hutterite
Hutterites are a communal branch of Anabaptists who, like the Amish and Mennonites, trace their roots to the Radical Reformation of the 16th century. Since the death of their founder Jakob Hutter in 1536, the beliefs of the Hutterites, especially living in a community of goods and absolute...
societies.
Life
John Andrew Hostetler was born to an Old Order Amish family in the Kishacoquillas ValleyKishacoquillas Valley
The Kishacoquillas Valley, known locally as both Kish Valley and Big Valley, is an enclosed anticlinal valley in the Ridge-and-valley Appalachians of Central Pennsylvania, lying between Stone Mountain ridge to the north and Jacks Mountain ridge to the south. The valley is located in Mifflin County...
(known locally as the Big Valley) region of Mifflin County
Mifflin County, Pennsylvania
Mifflin County is a county located in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. As of 2010, the population was 46,682. Its county seat is Lewistown. It is named after Thomas Mifflin, the first Governor of Pennsylvania.-Geography:...
, Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
, USA on October 29, 1918. He was the fifth of seven children of Joseph and Nancy (Hostetler) Hostetler. At the age of eleven, his parents moved to Iowa
Iowa
Iowa is a state located in the Midwestern United States, an area often referred to as the "American Heartland". It derives its name from the Ioway people, one of the many American Indian tribes that occupied the state at the time of European exploration. Iowa was a part of the French colony of New...
. As a youth he supervised his father's turkey operation, took courses on poultry raising, and received a poultry judging license from the American Poultry Association
American Poultry Association
The American Poultry Association is the oldest poultry organization in the North America. Founded in 1873, and incorporated in Indiana in 1932 The first American poultry show was held in 1849, and the APA was later formed in response to the burgeoning need for an overseeing body to set standards...
. He discovered that he enjoyed reading more than raising turkeys and feeding hogs. He was sixteen when his essay "Some Effects of Alcohol and Tobacco" was published by the Mennonite youth paper The Words of Cheer. Never baptized in the Amish church, in 1935 Hostetler joined the Mennonite
Mennonite
The Mennonites are a group of Christian Anabaptist denominations named after the Frisian Menno Simons , who, through his writings, articulated and thereby formalized the teachings of earlier Swiss founders...
Church. He attended Hesston College
Hesston College
Hesston College, a two-year college founded in 1909, is located in Hesston, Kansas, United States, north of Wichita. The college has an enrollment of about 450 students who typically come from about 30 states and 30 other countries...
in 1941, but was soon drafted and served with Civilian Public Service
Civilian Public Service
The Civilian Public Service provided conscientious objectors in the United States an alternative to military service during World War II...
in several locations. He graduated from Goshen College
Goshen College
Goshen College, is a private Mennonite liberal arts college in Goshen, Indiana, USA with an enrollment of around 1,000 students. The college is accredited by North Central Association of Colleges and Schools and is a member of the Council for Christian Colleges and Universities...
in 1949 with a degree in sociology. While at Goshen he assisted dean Harold S. Bender
Harold S. Bender
Harold Stauffer Bender was a prominent professor of theology at Goshen College and Goshen Biblical Seminary. His accomplishments include founding both the Mennonite Historical Library and the Mennonite Quarterly Review...
by writing articles on the Amish and similar groups for the four-volume Mennonite Encyclopedia which Bender was editing, beginning a productive and prolific academic career.
He married Hazel Schrock in June 1949. The Hostetlers then moved to State College
State College, Pennsylvania
State College is the largest borough in Centre County in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. It is the principal city of the State College, Pennsylvania Metropolitan Statistical Area which encompasses all of Centre County. As of the 2010 census, the borough population was 42,034, and roughly double...
, Pennsylvania where John began graduate studies in rural sociology at the Pennsylvania State University
Pennsylvania State University
The Pennsylvania State University, commonly referred to as Penn State or PSU, is a public research university with campuses and facilities throughout the state of Pennsylvania, United States. Founded in 1855, the university has a threefold mission of teaching, research, and public service...
. In 1951, his wife and a daughter died in childbirth, the same year that Hostetler's Annotated Bibliography on the Amish won the University of Chicago
University of Chicago
The University of Chicago is a private research university in Chicago, Illinois, USA. It was founded by the American Baptist Education Society with a donation from oil magnate and philanthropist John D. Rockefeller and incorporated in 1890...
's annual Folklore Prize. In 1953 Hostetler married Beulah Stauffer Hostetler, a book editor at Herald Press. They had three daughters together, and their marriage marked the beginning of a 48-year collaboration on many projects. He died on August 8, 2001 at the age of 82.
Educator and author
Dismayed by inaccurate popular essays on the Amish, Hostetler published Amish Life (Herald Press, 1952) and The Amish (Herald Press, 1995), books still in print at his death, whose combined sales approached 850,000 copies at that time. He received his Ph.D. from the Pennsylvania State University in 1953 for a dissertation entitled The Sociology of Mennonite Evangelism which was subsequently published by Herald Press. During a five year stint at the Mennonite Publishing House, he served as book editor and also wrote a history of the press, God Uses Ink (1958).Beginning in 1959 he held faculty teaching appointments at the University of Alberta
University of Alberta
The University of Alberta is a public research university located in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. Founded in 1908 by Alexander Cameron Rutherford, the first premier of Alberta and Henry Marshall Tory, its first president, it is widely recognized as one of the best universities in Canada...
, Penn State Abington
Penn State Abington
Penn State Abington is a commonwealth campus of the Pennsylvania State University. Located approximately north of Center City Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States in the Abington section of Abington Township, it is set in wooded, which include a duck pond and stands of hardwood trees...
(Penn State Ogontz campus), and Temple University
Temple University
Temple University is a comprehensive public research university in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. Originally founded in 1884 by Dr. Russell Conwell, Temple University is among the nation's largest providers of professional education and prepares the largest body of professional...
where he retired in 1985. He lectured widely at colleges and universities and held several visiting professorships including five years (1986–1990) as a Distinguished Scholar-in-Residence at the Young Center for Anabaptist and Pietist Studies at Elizabethtown College
Elizabethtown College
Elizabethtown College is a small comprehensive college located in Elizabethtown, Pennsylvania in Lancaster County. The school was founded in 1899 by members of the Church of the Brethren...
where his wife also held a teaching appointment.
Work
Hostetler's scholarship and publications included at least twenty articles in church periodicals, nearly that number in the Mennonite Quarterly ReviewMennonite Quarterly Review
The Mennonite Quarterly Review is an interdisciplinary review journal devoted to Anabaptist and Mennonite history, theology, and contemporary issues. Published continuously since its conception in 1927 by Harold S. Bender and the Mennonite Historical Society, the journal is now a cooperative...
and the Mennonite Historical Bulletin as well as some twenty additional articles in other scholarly journals including the Journal of the Royal Anthropological Institute and the American Journal of Medical Genetics. He contributed at least 15 chapters to edited books as well as several essays to encyclopedias. Hostetler produced eight full length books and six booklets for popular audiences including the best selling Amish Life. His most important and influential book was Amish Society (Johns Hopkins); first published in 1963, with a fourth edition in 1993, it became one of the best selling volumes in the history of the Johns Hopkins University Press
Johns Hopkins University Press
The Johns Hopkins University Press is the publishing division of the Johns Hopkins University. It was founded in 1878 and holds the distinction of being the oldest continuously running university press in the United States. The Press publishes books, journals, and electronic databases...
. Hutterite Society (Johns Hopkins, 1974) provided an authoritative account of Hutterite life and society. Other major books included Children in Amish Society (Holt, Rinehart & Winston, 1971) coauthored with his long-time colleague Gertrude Enders Huntington, and Amish Roots (Johns Hopkins, 1989). At the Amish Tricentennial Conference at Elizabethtown College in 1993, Hostetler was recognized by friends and colleagues and presented with a festschrift
Festschrift
In academia, a Festschrift , is a book honoring a respected person, especially an academic, and presented during his or her lifetime. The term, borrowed from German, could be translated as celebration publication or celebratory writing...
, The Amish and the State (Johns Hopkins, 1993) which honored his scholarly contributions.
During the early 1960s Hostetler organized an extensive study of Hutterite religious, educational and social practices, with particular focus on socialization patterns, in three colonies, two in southern Canada and one in the northern US state of Montana. The study was funded by the US Office of Education and enlisted numerous consultants and fieldworkers, the latter headed by anthropologist Gertrude Huntington who lived with some of her family as participating members of an Alberta colony for 7 weeks one summer. Hostetler and Huntington published the findings of their study in The Hutterites in North America in 1967—it has been reprinted in several new editions since then.
In addition to his formal publications Hostetler wrote many research reports, directed six funded research projects, and served as an expert witness in at least five court cases involving minority groups, the most prominent one being Wisconsin v. Yoder
Wisconsin v. Yoder
Wisconsin v. Yoder, 406 U.S. 205 , is the case in which the United States Supreme Court found that Amish children could not be placed under compulsory education past 8th grade, as it violated their parents' fundamental right to freedom of religion....
which was heard by the U.S. Supreme Court in 1972. He was an active participant in the National Committee for Amish Religious Freedom. Hostetler served as an advisor to two major films: The Amish: A People of Preservation (1976) and The Hutterites: To Care and Not to Care (1983). Among numerous awards, John A. Hostetler was a Fulbright Scholar, received an honorary doctorate from Elizabethtown College, and was recognized by the Society for German-American Studies and the National Historic Communal Societies Association.
Through publication and contact with the public media Hostetler served as the leading national interpreter of Amish and Hutterite communities throughout the last half of the twentieth century. As a champion of religious liberty, he was instrumental in preserving and protecting fundamental religious rights of religious minorities, working in quiet and sensitive ways to build bridges of understanding and respect between Old Order communities and the larger world. One of his most enduring accomplishments was his ability to nurture and maintain the trust of leaders and members of Old Order communities.
Works
- Hostetler, J A & Huntington, G E (1967). "The Hutterites in North America", Holt, Rinehart and Winston, New York.