The Hutterites in North America by Rod Janzen and Max Stanton (review)

At last! A book on the Hutterites which builds on the formidable foundations established by John Hostetler with his Hutterite Society in 1974. And yet this is a very different kind of book. Where Hostetler builds a picture of uniformity and stability, Janzen and Stanton stress diversity and change. They replace a static descriptive model of Hutterite society—which has served us well for thirty years—with a more complex post-modern vision of a culture evolving and mutating. They weigh the differences between the four leut (people). Equally important, they emphasize the range of behaviours within each clan, and contrast these variations of the "Hutterite way" with our own rather frenetic lifestyle.

Janzen and Stanton have written an attractive and accessible book, which will, I hope, be enjoyed by a wide range of readers, both within and outside the academy. The authors—one a social historian and the other an anthropologist and geographer—have been observing life on the colonies for a combined total of more than fifty years. Much of their data were gathered on their frequent visits to Hutterite colonies. They report what they saw, or were told, often using the words of their correspondents. Important points are illustrated, not with tables and graphs, but with anecdotes. For example, when discussing the role of the minister, they recount coming across a seventy-five-year-old minister leveling land with a huge mechanical scraper in sweltering heat. On another occasion, they saw six- to twelve-year-old boys and girls laying new plumbing lines (198).

Perhaps because of this reliance on direct observation, this book drew me into the communal world of colony life in a way previous treatments have not. It struck a chord with me when the authors mention how visitors soon become involved in discussions full of incisive comments and repartee. Young people are active participants in these exchanges. They display an enviable level of self-confidence, and are clearly comfortable interacting with adults.

Their religious belief is what has sustained the Hutterites throughout their 400-year history. It is accorded a central place in this book. The authors explain the way in which relations with the Bruderhof, based in Europe and eastern North America, contributed to the greatest modern crisis facing the Hutterites, the split of the Schmiedeleut into conservative and progressive factions, during the 1990s. Their nuanced analysis emphasizes the fact that some good came out of the turmoil. Hutterites everywhere are becoming more interested in their history and spirituality. Similarly, evangelical Christianity has had a huge impact on the Brethren. Colonists talk of "born again" and "born against" individuals or families. Implying that the individualistic search for a personal relationship with Jesus runs counter to the communal way of living out the gospel together in brotherly love. But even this divisive trend has born some fruit. Ministers are doing more to interpret the seventeenth-century lehren (sermons) they read in church, and are making efforts to link them to contemporary issues.

This is a forward-looking book which teases out trends in Hutterite culture and weighs possible future scenarios. Chapters on "Education and Cultural Continuity"; "Population, Demography and Defection"; "Managing Technology and Social Change"; and "Facing the Future," describe many of the issues which face the Brethren.

Any shortcomings I mention probably reveal as much about this reviewer as the book. First, when I chose an interesting observation and checked the footnotes, I was often referred to an interview or a private collection; there was no "paper trail" leading to supporting material. As I read more, I realized that this was the unavoidable result of the fresh "reportage" which I was enjoying. I hasten to add that there is an adequate bibliography. Second, although many of the problems of encroaching modernity are addressed, few conclusions are reached. It seems to me that several tenets of the Hutterite way are being eroded. For example, the...