Leading a “Simple” Life in Modern Capitalism. The Moral Economy of Mennonite Consumption in Mid-twentieth-century America

Martin Lutz ()
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Martin Lutz: Humboldt-University of Berlin

Chapter Chapter 11 in Reassessing the Moral Economy, 2023, pp 219-236 from Palgrave Macmillan

Abstract: Abstract The concept of simplicity (Einfachheit) is crucial to understanding the way Mennonites engaged in the modern economy. Notions of simplicity derived from biblical interpretations informed the moral values as to what kind of consumption was deemed appropriate for a church member, and what was considered “worldly”, i.e. against God’s will. The chapter shows how these moral values were integrated in Mennonite church regulations and offered an institutional setting designed to constrain individual consumption choices.

Keywords: Mennonites; History of consumption; Modern capitalism; Anabaptists; American History (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:pal:palscp:978-3-031-29834-9_11

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DOI: 10.1007/978-3-031-29834-9_11

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