Uncover Selling The Amish: The Tourism Of Nostalgia Generated By Susan L. Trollinger Format Ebook

this close study of tourists interest in Amish Americans, Susan L, Trollinger explains the appeal of these “plain folks, ” Amish Country tourism, according to Trollinger, mediates visitors experiences of what they understand as “Amish, ” At the same time, Amish people themselves, by being “conspicuously visible,” contribute to what Trollinger calls the “visible rhetoric” that generates the perceived gulf of cultural difference between the Amish people and the nonAmish tourists who seek the aesthetic pleasures of Amish culture.
What these tourists mainly seek, Trollinger notes, is their own consumer culture in short, they incorporate their perceptions of the Amish into their own consumerist worldview, Tourists shop, but their voracious appetites for all things Amish including many items with only a tenuous relation to actual Amish culture produce an existential meaningfulness of their own selves.


I appreciate Trollingers analysis of Amish Country tourism, especially her use of semiotics, to “read” the visible rhetoric in Amish tourist towns, Her book contributes useful approaches for understanding the meaningfulness of touristic practices,
A well written and expertly researched look about three Amishcountry communities in Ohio that lead to larger reflections on the entire movement of Amish tourism, I will be writing a review of this new publication for Brethren Life and Thought and expand on my thoughts for that review,
More thanmillion tourists flock to Amish Country each year, drawn by the opportunity to glimpse "a better time" and the quaint beauty of picturesque farmland and handcrafted quilts.
What they may find, however, are elaborately themed town centers, outlet malls, or even a water park, Susan L. Trollinger explores this puzzling incongruity, showing that Amish tourism is anything but plain and simple,

Selling the Amish takes readers on a virtual tour of three such tourist destinations in Ohios Amish Country, the worlds largest Amish settlement, Trollinger examines the visual rhetoric of these uniquely themed placestheir architecture, interior decor, even their merchandise and souvenirsand explains how these features create a setting and a story that brings tourists back year after year.


This compelling story is, Trollinger argues, in part legitimized by the Amish themselves, To Americans faced with anxieties about modern life, being near the Amish way of life is

comforting, The Amish seem to have escaped the rush of contemporary life, the confusion of gender relations, and the loss of ethnic heritage, While the Amish way supports the idealized experience of these tourist destinations, it also raises powerful questions, Tourists may want a life uncomplicated by technology, but would they be willing to drive around in horsedrawn buggies in order to achieve it

Trollinger's answers to important questions in her fascinating study of Amish Country tourism are sure to challenge readers understanding of this surprising cultural phenomenon.
.