Strictly Observant

Amish and Ultra-Orthodox Jewish Women Negotiating Media

By Rivka Neriya-Ben Shahar

Rutgers University Press

The Amish and ultra-Orthodox Jewish communities have typically been associated with strict religious observance, a renunciation of worldly things, and an obedience of women to men. Women’s relationship to media in these communities, however, betrays a more nuanced picture of the boundaries at play and women’s roles in negotiating them.

Strictly Observant presents a compelling ethnographic study of the complex dynamic between women in both the Pennsylvanian Old Order Amish and Israeli ultra-Orthodox Jewish communities and contemporary media technologies. These women regularly establish valuable social, cultural, and religious capital through the countless decisions for use and nonuse of media that they make in their daily lives, and in ways that challenge the gender hierarchies of each community. By exhibiting a deep awareness of how media can be managed to increase their social and religious reputations, these women prompt us to reconsider our outmoded understanding of the Amish and ultra-Orthodox Jewish communities, the role that women play in these communities as agents of change, and our own relationship to media today.

Reviews

Shahar's analysis is as subtle as the efforts of those she researched here. It is consistently enlightening. . . . Highly recommended for anyone interested in the field of the sociology of religion, and especially in (audience research) media studies. Contemporary Jewry

Sophisticated and compelling. . . . Strictly Observant makes important empirical, methodological, and theoretical contributions to the study of strict religious observance which have implications far beyond scholarship on Amish and Ultra-Orthodox Jewish communities. In addition to providing valuable insights into the daily lives of strictly religious women, Neriya-Ben Shahar convincingly demonstrates the importance of non-traditional measures of female influence and power. Further, she advocates for a radical form of participant observation that could be extended to many areas of study such as political campaigns, organizing, and advocacy. For scholars of religion and politics, gender studies, and ethnographic researchers, this book is an invaluable resource. Journal of Amish and Plain Anabaptist Studies

A fascinating analysis of how Amish and ultra-Orthodox Jewish women deal with modern technology and media. . . . This most interesting read details and contrasts the struggles and challenges these two communities of women face and how they deal with them. Jewish Link

In this fascinating study, Shahar breaks new cultural ground. Orthodox Amish and Jewish women stand worlds apart in their religious beliefs yet share similarities coping with modern media. Both are savvy and shrewd in creating symbolic boundaries to enhance their communal stature. Donald B. Kraybill, author of The Riddle of the Amish

In this fascinating, sensitive, and accessible book, Neriya-ben Shahar offers us a compelling and insightful analysis of the lives and media-usage of women in Amish and Ultra-Orthodox communities. Strictly Observant is a timely and welcome contribution to readers interested in communication studies, religious studies, Jewish studies, and gender studies. Ayala Fader, author of Hidden Heretics: Jewish Doubt in the Digital Age