Description
Book SynopsisThe first book to examine the complexity of sexual identity, philosophy, and behavior in Amish culture. The Amish offer a startling contrast to the postmodern view of sexuality and gender roles. After the sexual revolution of the 1960s, mainstream American culture never looked back. Meanwhile, the Amish never looked forward. In twenty-first-century Amish communities, heteronormative sexuality is still based on a unifying principle: an understanding of sexuality as emerging from a divine plan. In the eyes of the Amish, sex is squandered by those who embrace it as hedonistic or who carve out a sexual identity that moves them away from that singular, God-given purpose. But this communal emphasis on sex for procreation does not mean that the Amish do not possess a complex range of sexual identities and opinions. In Serpent in the Garden, clinical psychologist James A. Cates breaks new ground in the study of Amish sexuality by examining this shrouded, rarely discussed subject. The first
Table of ContentsPreface
Acknowledgments
Chapter 1. The Pilgrim Journey: Amish Discipline
Chapter 2. Peculiar People, Queer Theory
Chapter 3. The Birds and the Bees (and the Horses and the Cows): Learning about Sexuality
Chapter 4. "Knowing" One Another: Ramifications of the Physical Act
Chapter 5. Gender Roles: Housework and Harvesting
Chapter 6. Intimacy: The True Serpent in the Garden
Chapter 7. Suffer Little Children: Child Sexual Abuse
Chapter 8. Victorian's Secret: Paraphilias and the Amish
Chapter 9. The Love That Won't Shut Up: Sexual Minorities and the Amish
Epilogue. Rubbing Shoulders with Rahab: Emerging Views on Sexuality
Appendixes
A. Suggestions for Further Reading
B. Professional Interaction and Amish Sexuality
C. A Quick Guide to Other Plain Groups
Notes
Bibliography
Index
