Dancing on the Devil’s Playground: The Amish Negotiate with Modernity

An inside look at the unique balance the Amish strike between tradition and the demands of the modern world.

From technology to social forces, the Amish face an evolving modern world. Their facility in determining whether to accept, reject, or bargain with the options that challenge them allows for measured change that sustains their social fabric and beliefs. In Dancing on the Devil’s Playground, James A. Cates employs a sociocultural model to analyze this negotiation and its applications in Amish culture.

Cates, a clinical psychologist, draws on his extensive experience working with Amish families and communities as a mental health professional, as well as the scholarship of Donald B. Kraybill, a leading Amish expert who developed the ＂negotiation with modernity＂ model. Cates uses this paradigm to examine the Amish’s principles of assessment and evaluation, their cautious tempo in response to change, and their strategies of critical analysis during negotiations. Dancing on the Devil’s Playground features seven fascinating case studies of how the Amish interact with legal, health care, and civil authorities and will help readers better understand Amish perspectives on medical, social, and emotional aspects of life. These case studies include, for example, negotiation with the telephone, services for special medical needs, substance abuse, child sexual abuse, and domestic violence.

These essays illustrate the negotiation techniques the Amish use to protect their unique culture while adapting to the needs of the modern world. The Amish adopt, adapt, defer, or decline the changes they face, all while maintaining their traditions and a unique identity that includes an appropriate distance from the rest of the world.

James A. Cates is a clinical psychologist in private practice in northeast Indiana, and associate faculty with Purdue University--Fort Wayne. He has worked with the Amish for over thirty years. He is the author of Serving the Amish: A Cultural Guide for Professionals and Serpent in the Garden: Amish Sexuality in a Changing World.